


The Space Between Us

by MrsBo_Deanie87



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Action & Romance, Developing Relationship, F/M, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:35:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 50,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26497243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsBo_Deanie87/pseuds/MrsBo_Deanie87
Summary: After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new race has made an appearance. The movement is called the “Genesis” movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the “Genesis” movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.Genesis:  Established 4 years after Project Meteor. Illegal experiments that involve Gene Splicing animal DNA with human DNA Scientifically/Bionically enhanced humans or a mixture of both. The group is trying to recreate the free world with a new race and a new way to express one's self. This group feels the new world has become too closed-minded. People with these enhancements and physical changes found the idea to be enlightening or a way to be “unique” and express themselves, but the changes come with their complications when not performed correctly.
Relationships: Chang Wufei/Sally Po, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	1. The Space Between Us

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

**Summary:** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new race has made an appearance. The movement is called the “Genesis” movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the _“Genesis”_ movement and the trails and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

_Genesis_ : Established 4 years after Project Meteor. Illegal experiments that involve Gene Splicing animal DNA with human DNA, Scientifically/Bionically enhanced humans, or a mixture of both. The group is trying to recreate the free world with a new race and a new way to express one's self. This group feels the new world has become too closed-minded. People with these enhancements and physical changes found the idea to be enlightening or a way to be “unique” and express themselves, but the changes come with their own complications when not performed correctly.

**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 1**

**Duo's POV**

7 years...it's been seven years since the ending of Meteor and where do I find myself? Sitting in a space shuttle collecting remnants of it all. Yup, Duo Maxwell the Scrapper. After everything was said and done I was pretty much lost on what to do with myself. I didn't think I would SURVIVE to see the “peace” that banshee used to go on about. Not that any of us four were recognized as heroes in her eyes. She said her little speech and planned for a celebration to revere the hero of the war, the perfect soldier, Heero Yuy.

Sure I attended, so did all the others but we could all see how uncomfortable the “perfect soldier” was with all the attention. She was hanging on his arm and dragging him around like a rag doll, introducing him to all the important diplomats and shit. Were we all given the same treatment, no absolutely not. She saw and only ever saw Heero Yuy. That was also the last time I saw them all before we all went our separate ways; like we didn't just fight a war together; like we hadn't gotten close over that hell of an experience.

Sure, we all had good intentions to stay connected but that all kind of fell apart. Winner was too busy with his family's company, Trowa....sorry TRITON followed Winner and eventually became his bodyguard. Relena dug her banshee claws into Heero and ask him to be her personal guard. As far as I remember, he turned her down and ended up working with Wufei and Sally at the Preventers HQ on L1 but acted as her personal guard at functions involving the reigning family and diplomatic affairs.

As for myself, I went back to school. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. With the new “rules” and “laws” in place thanks to that banshee...I eventually majored in Mechanical Science and with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. After that, Hilde and I opened a scrap yard on L2 to help rebuild the colony from its dilapidated state. We had a pretty good thing going and hit it off better than I expected we would. But one night, two years later, that was shot all to shit... In my defense, I was 19 and still didn't know what I wanted but for some stupid reason thought it was a good idea to start a relationship with her, which was three years ago.

**-Flashback- AC198**

_He walked over to Hilde covered in grease and grime from work and hugged her, “Hey Hild's How's it doing.”_

“ _Ew, Maxwell! You stink, go take a shower or something before you touch me, I just got this outfit! Jeez, what were you thinking!” She pushed him away and brought her hand to her nose to pinch it closed._

“ _Jeez Hilds! It's only an outfit, it can be washed ya' know. What am I not allowed to show how much I love my gal?”_

“ _Not when you smell like that!” She huffed._

_He stepped back and held his hands up in surrender before jogging up the stairs to clean up. After about 30 minutes, thanks to his mop, he went into the bedroom and leaned against the bathroom door jam, just watching her debate her appearance in the large mirror attached to their closet._

“ _Don't fret babe, you look great!” He walked up behind her and kissed along the side of her neck. “They would be fools to turn down the proposal”_

_She huffed and turned around with her fists at her hip, “It's a big deal Duo, it could put our yard on the market. We are running low on funds and really need this deal, so don't screw it up with your....nonchalant personality. Let me do all the talking and for god's sake, wear a decent outfit!”_

_He gave her a lop-sided grin and opened the closet, purposefully brushing his bare chest against her arm, “Don't worry babe, we'll rock it!” He winked at her before letting the towels drop and started rifling through the closet for something that wasn't “scrapper chic”._

_Hilde shook her head and sighed, “Don't ruin this for us with your joker's face, with your background I know how you act when under pressure, just stay quiet and let me do the talking alright?” She leaned over and kissed him on the shoulder while lightly scraping her nails over his chest. He shivered and leaned over to kiss her passionately, fucking cock tease..._

_She pulled away with a smirk before stepping back and leaving him to dress. By the time he finished, she was waiting impatiently by the front door, clicking her heel on the enamel in irritation. “Finally! You should just cut that mop of yours! It's got to be a hazard to work with!”_

_He pulled his hair around to his shoulder and feigned a hurt expression on his face, “Not happenin' babe. Besides, you like my hair. If I cut it you would regret that it's gone I'm tellin' ya!” He smirked, grabbed the keys from the hook, and ushered her out the door._

_They arrived at the fancy restaurant at quarter past 6. Looking at the outside from the car he began to double think his appearance. He looked down at his black button-up shirt and khaki slacks and then looked over at her in her chic black dress that came to the top of her knees. Her hair was done in some intricate style and she wore those neck-breaking heels he despised._

“ _Come on, we're going to be late! They are probably already seated, I don't want to make them wait longer than they already have.” She said in irritation as she stepped out of the car, grabbed her little gouache bag, and ambitiously walked to the entrance. He turned off the car and jogged up beside her at the host stand with a lopsided grin on his face. The women behind the stand stammered a bit as she informed the party was waiting for them and to follow her. He could swear he saw her blush. Hilde, on the other hand, looked irritated with him and he couldn't figure out what her deal was. She wasn't usually like this._

_Hilde had been acting strangely for the past few weeks but he contributed it to the deal that she was going to make. She was irritable, stressed, and easily annoyed by his antics lately. Duo was starting to get frustrated with her attitude, she never used to care what he looked like or if he was dirty. How he used to talk to other people and how he casually flirted with others. It's been over a month since they've done anything intimately and he was starting to feel the strain, men have needs ya know?_

_They were seated with two fine-looking gentlemen that wore suits, carried a briefcase, and wore Rolodex's on their wrists. Hilde greeted them with a smile and introduced him as her business partner. During the time they were talking and getting to know one another, he couldn't help but notice that Hilde seemed to be more....at ease and comfortable with the man named “Dominic”, almost like she knew him before the meeting. Any time he tried to interject during their conversation Hilde gave him an irritated look that demanded he stay quiet. /What the fuck?/ He wondered._

_Once they were done eating and she continued about her proposal, he noticed “Dominic” giving heated, sensual looks toward Hilde, had gone out of his way to touch her hand, or make contact in any way. At one point he felt the man shift under the table and noticed the man's long leg came in contact with Hilde's. Not once did she say anything about the looks or casual touches Dominic was making, if anything she would blush and looked frazzled and would give him a smile of her own. /What the actual fuck! Is this man hitting on my gal?/ He was getting pissed at this point, and with several glasses of wine already consumed, he couldn't hold back anymore._

_He put his hand out to intercede Dominic's and gave him a slight glare, “Listen here buddy, I don't appreciate you bluntly hitting on my gal. You have heard the deal, are you interested or not”_

“ _Duo!” Hilde gasped and stood, “Please excuse us for a moment, I need to speak with my business partner.”_

_Dominic looked genuinely surprised at Duo's declaration and then turned confused eyes to Hilde. “Not a problem Miss Shiebecker, we will look over the proposal. I believe we have heard everything we need to make a decision.” He and his assistant stood and nodded. He leaned over and grabbed Hilde's hand and kissed the back of it, “I'll be in touch.” he then smirked and walked away. Hilde paid for the bill and ushered him to the car before tearing into him._

“ _What the hell, Maxwell! That was completely unprofessional. He was just being friendly, you had no right to speak to him or even mention our involvement!”_

“ _Are you fucking serious Hil? He was hitting on you yet I was being unprofessional!”_

“ _Dominic is a stand-up businessman!” she yelled_

“ _What's that make me then!”_

“ _A Child! You're acting like a spoiled child! Just drop it, we probably won't get the deal now thanks to you! Just get us home.” she said in finality._

_He held back what he was about to say and just shook his head, started the car, and headed home. About halfway there he heard Hilde sigh as she stared out the side window. “What now!” he asked._

_She looked over at him, “Look, I'm sorry okay? It was a big deal, I've been stressing over it for weeks and we need the funding.”_

“ _You don't know if they will take it or not Hilds...and if they don't their stupid. There will be others interested. Just because we may have lost one doesn't mean something bigger and better won't come along. Who knows, maybe it will make us millionaires and we can expand while living in a mansion that rivals the size of the banshee's.” He said with a smirk, eyes never leaving the road._

“ _Can we just forget this ever happened?” She reached over and ran her fingers down his arm. He could never deny her anything when she spoke in that tone._

“ _Whatever you wish babe, it's yours” He smiled at her and pulled up to the yard._

_Once we got inside it turned into a whirlwind of clothes being removed and heated kisses. Make-up sex was, in his book, the best sex out there. She was raw, feral, and primal and he loved it. Hilde was great in bed, his perfect match. Even if their personalities clashed this is the one thing they had in sync. The next morning they woke up gloriously sore and everything went back to normal as if the meeting never happened._

_Later that week they were contacted by Dominic who had further questions on the proposal and requested a meeting. Hilde had refused to let him attend because someone had to run the yard while she conducted business. When she came back she was ecstatic, Dominic had taken her proposal and wanted to work with her further with the details. For several weeks the meetings became more frequent and Hilde became more....closed off. She wouldn't allow him to touch her, she didn't want to cuddle on the couch as they used to and she staved off intimate situations by saying she had a headache or that she was too tired from the days work to do anything._

“ _What's going on Hilds...” He asked her one night, three weeks later._

“ _Nothing, just busy with this deal. Dominic wants all the information I can provide, he is very thorough. Did you know he runs in the same circles as Winner? I wonder how ruthless he is with his deals in those circles, I would kill to see him in action.” She had a far off, enamored look on her face._

“ _He is a ruthless businessman, always gets what he wants, his personality is almost magnetic sometimes too according to his assistant...”_

_Duo sidled up to her and gently started laying kisses down the side of her neck, “Mhmm...sounds it.”_

_She pulled away with a sheepish grin and put some distance between them. “Not now Duo...I'm tired”_

“ _It's been weeks babe...I need my little hellcat. You don't have to do anything I'll take care of it all” He slid over to her again and lightly ran his hands around her stomach, slowly inching the clothes out of the way to feel bare skin._

_She pushed him away and huffed, “I said no, Maxwell! Jeezus do you only think with your pecker?”_

“ _That's not true babe you know it...but you do like it when I do,” He tried to lean in again and she got up from the couch._

“ _That's it, Maxwell! We can't do this anymore, it's not going to work out. I am in all sense, your boss and this is just...it's not like it used to be. I love you I do but not like that. I don't think I ever did! Your not professional, you act like a child, and you carry baggage that would fill 100's of mobile suits.”_

_He was angry, “Where the hell is this coming from! You never had a problem with me before, you have the baggage of your own ya know! Sure my life had been fucked up and I wasn't dealt a fair hand but that never bothered you before Hilde!”_

“ _I'm with Dominic, Duo!” She threw her hands up in frustration, “Did you seriously think we would last? Your head is so fucked up, Dominic has his head on straight, he has means to keep the business running and can provide stability! We've been with each other for weeks now. Jeezus Duo!!”_

_Now he was fierily pissed, “Are you saying you cheated! You were fucking him on the side? Is that why he took the proposal, Hilde! What the fuck, I didn't think you were that easily bought!”_

_She reached over and grabbed the papers that were sitting on the Coffee table, and forcefully handed them over “Sign it, it withdrawals all your rights to this company and its funding.”_

_He threw the papers back at her, “Are you fucking serious! Am I that easy to replace! I helped you build this fucking company from the ground up. You're gonna just piss on that over a good fuck? How long did it take for you to spread your legs for him, Hilde!”_

_SMACK!_

_He held his cheek in shock, “Sign the papers and get out Duo!” She thrust the papers at him again with a pin._

_He tightened his lip and slammed the papers down on the table. He signed them in his messy signature and threw them back at her, “I hope he's fucking worth it! You'll be regretting this later, no man with that standing would lower himself to a regular blue-collar worker.” He stomped up to their room, packed what measly things he had, and walked out. He got on his motorcycle drove off, and never looked back._

**-End Flashback-**

Thinking back he should have seen the signs; Her withdrawal, her disinterest, her change in behavior. It still hurt to think about it. Not to mention their relationship almost seemed doomed from the start, besides the sex and the business, they didn't have anything in common. I didn't have anywhere to go from that point, I didn't feel right asking one of the guys to take me in because we hadn't talked in months. I ended up running into Howard and his crew one night at a bar and he offered up a spot. The pay wasn't that great, but it would pay for my bills that were piling up so I took it. The next day I was off to the spaceport with the guys and shacked up in the living quarters. It wasn't the greatest situation but best I could get at the time.

I haven't been colony side or land-side since then, I hear from the guys ever so often over the satellite phone or comm but the conversations were always stuffy, short, and nonsensical. I think they are only bothering to contact to make sure I was still alive and not fucked up in some bar somewhere.

Few months after that Hilde tried to contact me. She was in a situation that she couldn't get herself out of and cost me most of my savings. She and Dominic had a fall-out and she was kicked to the curb, jobless, and lost the business. I felt bad for her despite how we split so I ended up giving her what I had and essentially ended up broke to help her get back on her feet. Last he heard she was able to find a job with a different yard and was doing better.

I found myself more fond of space than I thought I would be, given my past. It was beautiful and very...secluded. I couldn't get hurt out here and nobody would get hurt, I was in charge of myself, and regardless of what I did it wouldn't affect anybody else. Sure if I up and disappeared Howard would be out a scrapper but they were a dime a dozen nowadays given the recent events.

“Genesis” a movement established back In AC199, is running illegal experiments that involve Gene Splicing animal DNA with human DNA, Scientifically/Bionically enhanced humans, or a mixture of both. In light of the “peaceful new world”, society found a new way to express themselves. The group, according to the news feeds, felt the new world had become too closed-minded. People wanted an outlet, a way to be “unique” and express themselves, but the changes came with their complications when not performed correctly.

There are legal ways to go about getting the changes done. It wasn't supported, but to avoid riots, the government decided that if society wanted the outlet, they should be given a safe way to go about it. Testing is still being done with the bionic physical enhancements and prosthesis but gene splicing was prohibited and illegal. Splicing couldn't be done without having its major drawbacks, but this didn't stop people from taking the illegal route to get what they wanted. Preventers are busy trying to bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place but haven't had much luck. They couldn't pin down where it was taking place and by who.

The beeping on my com brought me out of my musing, “What's up?” Howard's face appeared on my screen. “Oh hey, old man! What can I do for ya boss.”

“Hey, kid! How are ya doing out there?”

“It's doin' ya' know, same ol' same ol' nothing bumpy yet,” I responded, grinned, and sat back in my chair.

“Good ta' hear, got another retrieval job for ya. Bring in your haul and I will fill you in on the details. It's not an easy job, out by an asteroid belt.”

I laughed, “I've weaved between suits old man, a few pieces of flying rock ain't gonna stop me from getting the load. What is it this time.”

“An old space shuttle, there are bound to be some good deals on what we can get. You'll have to come in and get the old bitch to haul it though.” Howard sat back and crossed his arms in thought. “She needs a tune-up, the attachment gear needs to be looked into. Had some issues with it lately.”

“That's no big, I can look at it and take her out for a spin,” I smirk and lean forward to rest my elbows on my counsel. “The old bitch should be up to it.”

Howard brought his hand up to his chin in thought, “I dunno kid, she is pretty beat up from the last outing. There may be more wrong with her we aren't seeing but she is the only one big enough to haul that shuttle in.”

“It's all good Howie. I'll take a look at her, run her through her specks, and get the job done. I'm about a day out, you good 'til then?”

“We're good, swamped but handling it. Talk to ya when ya get in, see ya then kid,” Howard still had a pinched look of concern on his face when he disconnected the call.

I don't know what his deal is, it's a simple retrieval job. What could go wrong? I felt a nervous nagging in my stomach after I thought it...I shouldn't have tempted fate...

**A/N: **Okay, first attempt at first person view, let me know what you think. Feel free to leave a comment. Critiques are welcome.


	2. The Space Between Us

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

**Summary:** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new race has made an appearance. The movement is called the “Genesis” movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the _“Genesis”_ movement and the trails and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 2**

**Heero's POV**

I looked down at my watch in frustration, what was taking her so long. She was supposed to be ready to go over 20 minutes ago and she has yet to make an appearance outside her room. I sigh and lean against the wall outside her door, my right leg bent to rest my foot against the wall, and straightened my back before closing my eyes and crossing my arms in inpatients.

“Where is the princess, her brother is starting to get...irritating” the voice stated in my ear.

I place my hand on the com and responded, “Still preparing I presume, she hasn't come out of her rooms yet.”

“Seriously, you should have taught her more about punctuality, Yuy” Wufei stated in an irritated tone.

“You know how she is, Chang. Everything has to be perfect and in place, if she is going to be on TV.”

I heard a sigh and a shift, as if he moved to lean against something, “The car is here, her brother is going on about being late, I'm considering brute force to shut him up at this point.”

I smirked, out of all people they worked with, Milliardo has always been able to get a rise out of the honor-bound man, “Just give her a few more minutes, tell Milliardo to calm down and not to tie his hair in knots.” straightening my leg I slightly wince and rub the connection of the prosthesis attached to my leg.

“Heard that, how are you holding up,” Wufei's slightly calmer voice stated

“I'm fine, the connection is just binding again...” I responded in an unconcerned tone.

It had been two years since the incident that cost me my leg but the man still showed concern. If it weren't for my job at Preventers I would have forgone getting the prosthetic all together. The connection always bound, sending shock wave up my thigh from the temporary disconnect of the nerves in my leg and the bionics. The upkeep was tiring and the constant testing I endured to get my body to accept the connection was ongoing. This was the third one they had fitted me with but the same thing happened each time, binding and shocks, as if the live nerves still wouldn't accept the fake replacement from my knee down.

I heard temporary silence over the line before his voice came through, “Have you considered the new model? It's said to have better connections then the last, it may be worth looking into, Heero.”

“You know its never that simple Chang, with my complicated make-up...and my rare blood type it would be another round of six months of physical therapy, I've already missed enough work over this I'm not going back to square one.”

“You need to cut yourself some slack, Yuy. You survived and most wouldn't have. If Maxwell would've seen you he would have had...”

I cut him off, “Enough Wufei, he was already space side at the time of the assassination attempt on her. I'm sure it was broadcast everywhere and he didn't bother to show up or even call to check-in. He has made it clear he doesn't want to be bothered.”

“...He probably didn't know, you know he doesn't pay attention to the diplomatic stuff going on down here...when was the last time you spoke with him?”

“It's been over a year, Chang. He hasn't seemed bothered by it either since he never attempts to contact us, not since he and Hilde had split and he went space side. Just drop it.”

He was smart to stay silent after that. I didn't need a reminder of something that never was going to happen. Maxwell and I were close during the war, or so I thought. The last serious conversation we had was at the celebration following the ending of Meteor.

The war...did a serious number on all of us. During the war I wasn't the easiest to get along with, okay that's putting it lightly. I distanced myself from the others, refused to allow distractions that could cause mission failures, and found solace in mission reports and research for the next one. Duo wasn't easily eluded though. He took me on where the others wouldn't. Eventually, he was able to get me to open up and we became close after that. I found myself comfortable around him and less anxious, not that I would have ever admitted it to him at the time. He was perfectly fine with being the one to engage the conversations, to engage casual touches, and trying to get me to smile on the rare occasion that I did. I started to feel more human and less of a weapon thanks to his antic and that alone scared me.

I didn't know what it was like to have a friend, to have someone to talk to, or even what friends were supposed to talk about. Our childhood wasn't a normal one, we couldn't just sit back and play games, discuss homework, or go on about the cute boy or girl in class. We were trained as soldiers and were never given the chance to be children or teenagers for that matter. The whole concept of humanity was confusing to me, I couldn't grasp the reason why having humanity was needed during that time. The progress was slow but I took it hard when it finally clicked into place. Out of fear I withdrew, started treating him horribly, or ignoring him altogether, I didn't need the distraction of feelings and had no right to have hopeful thoughts as he did.

By the time the war had ended, I was 17, confused, and at a loss on what to do with my life without having orders to follow. For a year after I spent my time trying to find myself...albeit at the bottom of a bottle. Relena went out of her way to try and help me any way she could. At first, I found her to be annoying but somehow she was able to get behind my defenses and I ended up having some type of feelings toward her. She helped me get myself together and offered me a job as her bodyguard. She had become my new mission objective. Since then I served as her guard at functions involving diplomatic affairs and worked at Preventers as a decorated officer with Wufei as my partner.

Over the first year with Preventers, I found myself getting closer to Relena than what was acceptable for a guard. We started talking outside of work and she started requesting me more often for medial things that she deemed she needed a guard for. One thing led to the next and a few months later I found myself in her bed, naked, and involved on a level that didn't seem possible. I didn't know when the change went from friends to more, but I knew it wasn't for the right reasons. I knew I didn't care for her in the way she wanted me to; that I couldn't be the person she wanted me to be. It was confusing and terrifying at the same time. I fell back into my training and approached the relationship like a mission, a very complicated one that I had no entail on. I was stuck in a situation that I didn't know how to get out of. I didn't want to complicate matters so we continued into uncharted territory and tried to make something out of it. The first few months were a struggle, I had to learn what was acceptable in public and what it was that she wanted from me. I took in everything she said and gave her everything she asked for. Eventually, I became more withdrawn from the others, rarely spoke with them outside of work, and dedicated everything to her protection.

The relationship lasted all of three years before I decided to end it. Nothing I did was good enough or the right way to approach things, I constantly made her irritated with my protective tendencies and my OCD personality. She still had it in her mind that she could help me in every way I needed and that all I needed was time but there are some things that counseling and pills can't erase after what I went through. That was three years ago and she still held on to the flame of us being together, she still doesn't seem to realize that they were done; that I wasn't just going through a phase; that I would come back in time. I have not talked to her outside of work since then and refused to accompany her as a guard outside of the diplomatic affairs she was required to attend.

It was the year after I ended it that there was a threat to her life. I still blame myself for not being the one to check the building before she entered; that I wasn't there because I had other matters to attend to that I deemed more important. I acted as her guard that day but didn't take part in securing the venue she was scheduled to give a speech in, I was too busy with Preventer business; investigating a possible lead on where “Genesis” was operating out of. I learned later that it was a set-up, they knew I would be on the investigating team and found the opening to rig the venue with a bomb set to go off once she approached the podium and stepped on a pressure plate disguised as a cushioned mat. It was too late for anything to be done, I heard the click and I pushed her out of harm's way as the roof came down on me. I can't remember much after that.

I was in the hospital for what seemed like a lifetime. I was informed that I was in a coma for a month before I came to, with an amputated leg, laying on a flat uncomfortable surface that kept my back aligned. I was facing down and In a panic, my mind playing tricks on me and taking me back to the war when I was captured and strapped similarly. It took Wufei several minutes to talk me down and stop me from doing further harm to myself. Sally Po made her entrance short after I woke up. She informed me of the incident and that I was lucky to be alive.

**-Flashback- AC200**

_When he slowly came to the first thing he noticed was the smell of antiseptic, the sound of medical machines beeping, and felt the hard surface under his chest. The next thing he noticed was a severe pain traveling up his back when he tensed and his right leg from the knee down felt like it was on fire. The heart monitor kicked up to match my heart rate and I felt a hand come down on my shoulder. I was not fully coherent and couldn't hear what was being said. It wasn't until the bed was put up vertically that my vision cleared and Wufei's face came into my line of sight. His hands came to my face and held it still, making sure our eyes were making contact._

“ _Yuy, calm down. You need to stop struggling in the restraints, your safe. Calm down and breathe, damnit!”_

_I took a large gasp of air into my lungs, I wasn't aware that I was holding my breath. My breathing was just as erratic as my heart rate, my arms were shaking and the shift of the surface caused my back to light up in invisible flames, searing me down to the bone._

“ _Damnit, Heero!” Wufei slightly tightened his grip on my head to bring my attention back to him._

_I took another gasp of air, my lungs felt like they were collapsed, “That's it, come on. Slow it down your safe at the Preventers medical facility, concentrate.”_

_I heard someone moan and realized it was me, I didn't recognize my voice. It was ragged from lack of use. I stilled my body and concentrated on slowing down my breathing and heart rate. I am not sure how long it took but once it was closer to normal I swallowed and nodded as best I could to let him know I was back._

“ _There you go, you okay now? Are you with us?” Wufei asked._

_I swallowed and tried to answer, my lungs still felt like they were closing up on me and my throat was dry. The most I could get out was another unrecognizable moan before shutting my eyes to the bright lights. I heard the door click open and felt Wufei shift to, I assume, look at whoever entered._

“ _Is he awake?” I heard Sally's voice inquire._

“ _I believe so.” Was Wufei's response. He felt another hand rest on the back of his head and stroke his hair in a calming, almost motherly manner._

“ _That's a relief...”She came around to my line of sight and Wufei stepped aside, “Do you know where you are? What happened?” I heard Wufei pouring some kind of liquid and came back to place the straw to my lips. I took a much-needed drink and shut my eyes, savoring the soothing feeling of the cool water sliding down my sandpaper throat._

“ _...Preventers..” I responded after I swallowed, “What...?”_

_She turned to Wufei, gave him a look before looking back at me with a sad smile, “You're lucky to be alive.”_

_I glared at her, I didn't like being left in the dark. My body was aflame, my brain felt like it was loaded with cotton, and I felt exhausted._

“ _Heero...” She continued and paused, as if debating how to approach the subject, “There was an...incident.”_

_My eyes widened in panic. Did I succeed? Was Relena okay? I had a million questions and not one would pass my lips. I felt my breathing becoming erratic again before she continued._

“ _Calm down, everyone is okay except you of course. Relena had a few scrapes but you got there in time. Nobody got hurt Heero...but...” She paused again and looked at Wufei. He gave her a look that stated he wasn't going to give the news and she sighed._

“ _There was a bomb, it was set off when Miss Relena stepped on the rubber mat near the podium. It activated the bomb that was attached to the scaffolding in the roof. You were able to get her out of harm's way but as for yourself....you weren't so lucky.” She walked over to the table and picked up a syringe. As she was talking she walked over to my IV line and added whatever was in the syringe to the line. It was almost instant relief, my body became blissfully numb and I let out a sigh in comfort._

_She smiled and sat down in a chair and proceeded to lower the surface back to its horizontal position. “The damage...was extensive to your back and your right leg...the scaffolding collapsed on you and crushed your leg. There was no way to save it...we had to amputate it from the knee down, as for your back...the scaffolding that fell also made an impact to your back but not as much as your leg, there was damage done but we were able to correct it with surgery. You're strapped down the way you are because it's imperative that you don't shift your back, we had to restructure it, the only thing holding your spine intact right now is metal and bionics. The spine was severed near your legs but we were able to correct it with the tech, after extensive physical therapy you will be able to walk again, but it will take time.”_

_My mind went blank trying to take in the information... “My leg...what can be done about my leg... I can't work without a leg..” I was starting to shake._

_Her hand came down to rest on my shoulder and she shushed me, trying to keep me calm, “There is...something...”_

“ _What, I'm willing to do anything Sally, I can't do my job adequately without being able to move efficiently.”_

_I heard her sigh and write something down before Wufei finished what she was going to say, “It's still in testing, but they have come up with a way to make a prosthetic that would function as if it was your leg, the process...can be painful according to the reports. Depending on how functional the prosthetic needs to be.”_

_He paused to let me take in the information before continuing, “The prosthetic would have contact plates on it, where the nerves in a normal let would be, at the end of your leg, there would be similar contact points. In theory, the electrical waves from your brain, that tell your leg to move and how, would be transmitted through the plates to the prosthetic, allowing it to function as if you don't have a prosthetic at all. But due to your make-up...and, the rare blood type it may take several trial runs for the replacement to be accepted. It's not life-threatening but it is a risky experiment...not much testing has been done on it, it's relatively new in light of the recent stuff going on.”_

_Silence, complete and utter silence followed the explanation. Did I want to be a test subject for there new experiments? Did I want to do that again? I didn't have a choice if I wanted to be able to do my job..._

“ _I'll do it...”_

**-End Flashback-**

All I can recall after I agreed to the testing was hospital visit after hospital visit, a lot of pain, several surgeries, and a lot of physical therapy. I was able to regain my ability to walk within six months. According to Sally that was major progress. Most that had undergone the same process took closer to 9 months to regain relatively normal movement. I still had physical therapy sessions now, two years later. The most irritating part of the process was the constant change in prosthetics. I've been their guinea pig to test out the new prototypes. Every few months I was fitted with a different prosthetic that was supposed to be better than the last. I have gone through three different prototypes since then and the same problems have occurred, binding and shocks. The scientists on the team couldn't seem to come up with a better way to keep the connection constant with the plates.

The door next to me opened, breaking me out of my thoughts. I stood straight from my leaning stance and face Relena as she came out of her room, “Relena, you were supposed to be on your way to the venue 30 minutes ago, your brother is frantic.”

She flipped her hair and gave me what would be considered a 'cute pout', “I had to make sure everything was perfect...I'm not going to show up looking like a drowned cat.”

I sighed and took her arm, “Come on, we need to get going, the car is waiting.”

I touched the com on my ear, “Chang, we are on our way down, make sure everything is ready to go.”

“Finally, that woman needs more discipline, get her down here before Milliardo goes bald.” the line was cut.

I shook my head and lead her to the staircase, “You have a schedule for a reason Miss Peacecraft, in the future learn to stick to it better. People aren't always going to wait until you are ready and find yourself acceptably presentable.”

She huffed and stopped at the top the stairs and crossed her arms, “It's Relena, Heero, Re-le-na. I would think we were past the formalities due to our involvement.”

“There is no involvement, there hasn't been one for years.” I reminded her of what seemed like the millionth time.

She reached out to his arm and leaned into it, “For now, you know you and I will end up together again. This phase you're going through will end eventually.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust, “Honestly, what can a man give you that I can't?”

I sighed, I've had this conversation with her several times and nothing seems to get through, “Relena, it's not a phase, saying my being interested in both men and woman is a phase is like saying your hair isn't blonde.”

She giggled playfully and kissed his cheek, “Whatever you say, Heero, but I know you better than most, I know what it truly is.” she started descending the stairs with her arm looped through mine. I sighed again and dropped the subject. Trying to explain myself to her is like trying to explain colors to a dog, pointless.

I led her to the limo, put her in the back with her brother, and joined Wufei in the front. Wufei nodded in greeting and we pulled away from the curb, listening to the muffled argument going on in the back.

“Honestly, that woman needs to stop these antics. What is she possibly doing with herself that takes longer than Milliardo, especially with his hair.”

I shrugged at Wufei's ranting and looked out the window, absently rubbing at my right knee.

“Shocks or vibrations,” He inquired once he noticed my movements.

“Vibrations,” I responded.

Wufei reached into the counsel between them and pulled out my pain medication, “Take one, Heero.”

He knew how much I hated meds. I sighed and grabbed the bottle from him, shook out a pill, popped it into my mouth, and swallowed it dry with a grimace. “Happy?”

Wufei nodded and put the meds back in the counsel. We noticed Milliardo must be done nagging, the muffled sounds in the back were no longer present. I looked out the window, watching the scenery pass by as we drove.

“You seem frustrated, did she bring up the subject again?” he inquired, his eyes never leaving the road.

“She touched on it, I don't know what else I can tell her to make her believe me. She is stubborn and refuses to accept that I may be interested in anything other than women...” My stomach did a flip, the pills were causing my stomach to act up like they always do when I haven't eaten. I imagine my face may have paled because the next thing I noticed was a protein bar being shoved under my nose. I took it gratefully and opened it, and took a bite. The things tasted like cardboard but they worked on short notice.

Wufei shook his head, he didn't really have anything to say about her behavior. I knew he was just as perplexed as me, it had been three years...yet she still holds to her belief. Thankfully he changed the subject to fill the silence.

“How is Mikhail,” he inquired.

I gave a small smile thinking about him. Mikhail was my recent partner, we've been together for a few months and things looked promising. We haven't taken that last step to making it official. “He's doing okay. School has him busy and he is missing home. He said he was hoping to get away during break next week.”

“Isn't he starting his residency next term?”

“Yeah, he was hoping to do his residency at the Preventers medical facility but he said there was a lot of tape.” Mikhail was currently doing his doctorates on L4, he was hoping to be accepted into the prosthesis program. Ever since he learned of my condition he was interested in the progression, especially if it could help people in similar situations as mine.

Wufei smiled and nodded, “That's good to hear, they are always looking for more people to participate in the scientific/bionic side of things. Who knows, maybe he will be the one to find a resolution to the issues they are having.”

I nodded and threw the empty protein bar wrapper in the trash, “I hope so, with how hard he worked to get the Winner scholarship.”

Wufei gave a short laugh in memory of how the man convinced Quatre. Being Quatre, he was a hard case, but Mikhail was equally stubborn and knew what he wanted. “that blonde tyrant didn't make it easy.” I responded with a smile of my own.

“How long has it been?” He asked.

“Four months this week. He is a hard worker, honorable, and was worthy of the Scholarship. I'm glad Quatre considered him, especially with how many he had that applied for it.” I laid my head back on the chair and closed my eyes, the pill was making me slightly drowsy but my leg was no longer pulsing.

“You have time to rest, we are about 30 minutes out, it will probably take about 45 with the traffic.”

Wufei, ever observant. I smirked and nodded to his suggestion, slowly letting myself drift for the rest of the ride.

**A/N:** Chapter two completed. let me know what you think. I know Heero was slightly out of character, but keep in mind this is 7 years after the end of the anime. I also realize the ages for the characters are not accurate, but the ages seemed more believable. Feel free to leave a comment. Critiques are welcome.


	3. The Space Between Us

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

  
  


**Summary:** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new race has made an appearance. The movement is called the “Genesis” movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the “ _Genesis”_ movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 3**

  
  


**Duo's POV**

I docked my shuttle the next day, as expected. Howard greeted me as I exited my shuttle. “Hey, old man! Just as I promised” I bowed then looked up with a smirk on my face.

Howard snorted at my antics and wrapped his arm around my neck in a hug, “Been a while kid! What did you bring us this time?”

“I was out by L4, found quite a bit. Nothing solid that needed towing in but there is plenty of scrap in the bay.” Howard motioned to a few of his crew to start unloading.

We walked to his office and I flopped myself down on his well-used couch. He took his usual seat behind his desk and leaned back, resting his feet on its surface. “Feel's like it's been longer than a couple of days. Business has been booming lately for the scrap you pull in. Apparently, it's being shipped down to L1 and L4 for prototypes. The gundanium alloy isn't as heavy so it works great with whatever research they are doing colony side.”

“Glad to be of service! So, you were talkin' about a retrieval job on the com yesterday, spill it.” I leaned back and but my hands behind my head, stretching my long legs out in front of me and crossing them at the ankles.

“I dunno kid, the more I thought about it, it doesn't seem like a good idea. The ol' bitch is in pretty bad shape, it will take you quite a bit of your time to fix er' up.”

“What type of problems are you aware of” I inquired.

“Her attachment gear is in dire shape. From what we can tell we don't have anything up here that can fix the problem, we may need to go colony side to pick up what we need. We don't have that type a shit on hand out here. We also need to make a supply run here soon, guys are getting sick of the gruel up here.”

I sighed and sat up, resting my arms on my knees and brought my hand to my face, “Can't ya have that stuff shipped up?”

Howard pulled out his tablet and made a few tapping motions on it before displaying it on the blank wall across from him, “ From the looks of it, if we wait on them ta bring it to us it will take a couple of weeks. If we went down ourselves it would be a shorter wait for the parts and supplies. Problem is my crew is backed up with other jobs, I can't seem ta' find someone willin' to do the footwork.” He looked up at me expectantly.

I shook my head and held my hands up in surrender, “Oh no old man, I'm not gonna be your delivery boy. I prefer to keep myself space side, things are nuts down there.”

“Come on kid, you're all I have available at the moment. It's not like you can do anything about the retrieval without the parts, and the guys need food ya' know. Would it kill ya to touch down for a bit?”

_/It just might/_ I thought as I dramatically sighed and flopped back on the couch, “What about Gerald and Charlie. They usually are the ones to do this shit.”

Howard got a serious look on his face as he closed the projection on the screen, “Here's the deal Duo, it's more than a one-man job. I'll be sending those two down with ya' to help with the loading. I'm counting on you to get the parts for old bitch. Charlie and Gerald don't have the negotiating skills as you do. I know I can trust you not to break our bank getting the shit she needs.” He leaned back and propped his feet up on his desk in finality.

I groaned and rubbed my hand over my face, “'Aight old man, you're the boss. I'll do it but you tell Charlie and Gerald that this is a run, not a party, no going off-job to find a good bar and a gal to sink their dicks into.”

Howard laughed loudly and shook his head, “Think my word could stop 'im? They do what they want you know that. The run will take a few days to get everything together, let them get their jollies off, and maybe you can find someone to loosen that stick in your ass.”

I pointed my finger at him and smirked, “Not funny old man.

He laughed again and we both stood up from our spots. He walked over to me and slapped his hand on my back, “Go make yourself presentable for a colony side visit. You'll be going to L1 ta' get the stuff we need.”

_/Shit.../_ Was all I thought as I caught my breath from his hit. “Seriously?”

Howard just nodded and walked out of the office, waving behind him as he returned to the docking bay.

_/I'm fucked.../_

_******************************_

I took my time enjoying the warm running water over my bare skin. I had been taking cold showers to conserve energy on my ship. She's a beauty and gets the job done but shit when it comes to fuel. I laid my head against the steel of the wall as the hot water pelted down on my back. I couldn't believe Howard asked me to do this run, he knows why I avoid L1. I slammed my hand against the steel and let out a puff of air.

I reached up and lathered my hair, it didn't take as long as it used to. I can't say I miss it as much as I thought I would. It got stuck in vac and almost ripped out my head. It was either cut the damn thing or get a concussion from the force my head would hit the closed door. It came just below my shoulders now, still long enough to braid but I usually opted to put it up in a ponytail or pinned to my head with sticks. I leaned my head under the spray and rinsed the shampoo out before applying conditioner. So sue me, I still didn't want split ends. I put my face in the spray and sighed.

This trip wasn't going to be pleasant, I just knew I would run into one of the guys with my luck. Especially since the parts needed to be picked up from the Preventer owned and operated garage. They keep close tabs on shit that is being constructed and the reason the parts are needed. The people there can be real assholes, askin' thousands of questions, and doing everything short of a background check to allow anything out.

I finished rinsing my hair and started lathering up. The feel of the actual soap made my skin tingle. My ship was great but, as I said, the bathroom wasn't that glorious, I usually opted for chemical soap that caused fewer problems in the plumbing and skipped washing my hair if at all possible. The smell of the chemical soap smelled too much like antiseptic for my liking. I inhaled the air around me, smelling the chamomile and vanilla of my preferred shampoo. I rinsed off, lazied in the spray until it started to cool and stepped out.

Wrapping the towel around my middle I looked up at the mirror above my sink as I towel-dried my hair. Over the years I had become taller; had bulked up in all the places that mattered and no longer had the cherub-looking face. I ran my hand over my day-old scruff and opted to shave it off. I wrapped my hair in the towel and proceeded to shave, leaving only a little patch on my chin at an attempt at a go-tea. / _not bad, think I'll keep it./_

A loud bang on the door made me jump and nick my neck. “GOD DAMNIT! WHAT!”

The voice on the other side of the door let out a hearty laugh, “Hurry up pretty boy! There are others out here that need to take a piss.”

I put all my things into my bag, yanked open the door with a look of frustration on my face, and came face-to-face with Charlie. He looked me up and down and laughed, he looked about ready to collapse, “What's that shit on your face Maxwell!”

Gerald stood behind him with an amused look on his face and shook his head, “We leave in 30, be ready to go.”

I growled and stepped over Charlie on the floor to walk to my room, he made a catcall after me before standing up and walking into the bathroom. I shook my head and smirked myself, fucking a-holes sometimes.

I went into my quarters, if that is what you want to call it. I would say it was more like a closet that happened to have a bed and dresser in it. Space was valuable on the port so the rooms tended to be pretty small, only big enough for the necessities, and nothing more, they certainly weren't meant for glorious living.

I threw the towel around my waist down on the bed and riffled through my dresser for some clothes. The bag on my bed had most of my crap in it but I wasn't about to wear pants and shirts that probably would stand up on their own if they weren't contained. I was able to find a half-sleeve, high neck dark purple fitted top and threw it on the bed to join the black silk boxers and faded tight-fit pants. I really needed to do the laundry. I quickly got dressed and went about brushing my hair. Not wanting to mess with it, I pulled my sides back and wrapped it around a stick, and used another stick to hold it in place. I wasn't looking to please anybody but with it being wet as it was I didn't want to take the time to dry it, this was the most efficient way to keep it out of my face but still look somewhat presentable. The sticks were black and purple and matched the shirt I was wearing. I took a few minutes fussing over my clothes, smoothing the tight fit jeans and top down, grabbed the bag on the bed, and walked out the door, slinging it over my shoulder.

The guys were waiting near the shuttle and had matching smirks on their faces, “Glad to see you grace us with your presents Maxwell,” Charlie commented.

“Shove off man,” I smirked and pushed him aside as I made my way into the shuttle. The guys followed behind and took their respective seats in the cockpit. As they went through the checklist Gerald turned to look at me, “What's the getup for Maxwell, looks like you plan to go out once we get there.”

I strapped my things down and proceeded to strap myself down in the seat in the cabin. The shuttle wasn't big, I would call it a 'puddle jumper', it's all we really needed since the trip would only take about 8 hours to touch down on L1.

“Need to look presentable if I'm gonna go rounds with the people at the shop for the parts. You know how it is.” I smirked, “also was out of clean clothes, this is all I could muster up. Figured I would wash a load once we set down.”

“What, the washer's up here not good enough for ya?” Charlie chipped in.

“Nah, would take to long and we would be late getting out o' here, everything checks out?” I asked.

“We're Green and ready to go, kid!” Gerald answered.

Gerald and Charlie started up the boosters and headed out of the landing bay. “L1 here we come! Thank god, I was getting antsy up here!” Charlie exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and rested my elbow on the arm of my chair, then proceeded to rest my chin in my palm. “Yeah...great.” I sarcastically added.

Charlie looked back at me in question. They guys didn't know the reasons I had for not wanting to go land-side. I just glanced at him out of the corner of my eye before returning them to the porthole. I saw him shrug before he turned away and resumed typing in the coordinates at the counsel.

“Don't look so irritated kid, you'll get wrinkles on that perty brow of yours,” Charlie stated. I picked up the nearest thing I could grab and tossed it at his head in a playful rebuke. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled at my response. “Can't be that bad, whatever it is your avoidin'.”

_/You don't know the half of it.../_ I thought to myself. “Can ya turn on the music man? It's too quiet in this place and I rather not hear you jacking off up there.” Was my response.

Charlie laughed loudly and Gerald just shook his head before reaching down and switching on the track they had in the player. It wasn't my first choice but it was better than the deafening silence.

Usually, when I was on a job, I would play my music. The silence always reminded me of how alone and empty it was out here. Not only that, but it also soothed my anxiety quite a bit, it kept my mind off the fact that if anything went wrong I would be an instant corpse outside the shuttle. As beautiful as space could be, it had its downfalls; like the silence and the knowledge of there being no way to live outside without and oxygen tank. There was no atmosphere to support life in space, just death to the unlucky bastards that get pulled out into it without the respective gear.

I looked up at the guys up front, “What's the ETA.”

Gerald looked back for a second before returning to the view window, “It will be about 8 pm L1 time by the time we land, not much time to do anything but set down and find a place to crash for the night.”

I nodded and sighed, I was hoping we would set down earlier. It would take us up to at least 10 pm colony side to run landing protocol and do the shut down of the ship. Not to mention it would probably be wise to refuel.

“Don't know about you kid, but I plan to get the shit done and over with and find myself a decent bar.” He winked back at me, “Care to join. Don't want you feelin' like you got all spiffed up for nothin'.” Charlie commented.

“By the time we get done in port, it will be closer to 10, with the run down and refueling. You two can go ahead, I'll do what needs to be done and get us checked in somewhere close by. I'll send you the information once it's done. Do you have the order forms for the supplies and parts filled out?”

Charlie scratched the back of his head in thought, “the old man filled out what was needed, said you could fill out the rest and send it over on the way down.”

I pulled out my tablet in frustration. The man was useless when it came to filling out the proper forms, no wonder it took so long to get their parts. I pulled up the form and groaned. Howard put in what was needed but didn't bother to do much of anything else.

It took me about two hours to fill out the forms and include the missing detail that was needed to get the request underway. I also sent a rather colorful email over to Howard to read up on the regulations instead of depending on him to do it. Sometimes that old man just needed some sense knocked into him. I sent the finished forms over to him to sign and waited for a few minutes before it was sent back with a message attached;

_Good eye, kid! Thanks for fillin' out the information. This old man is too busy to deal with the red tape. Remind me to give ya' a raise. I also attached the list of supplies we need food-wise, enjoy your trip. Don't come down too hard on the guys, and get that stick loosened for god's sake!”_

  
  


_-Howie_

I could practically hear him laughing at his subtle joke. He knew my preferences and likes to poke fun at it, it's all in good humor though. They knew it didn't interfere with my job, I did damn good at keeping business and pleasure separate and planned to keep it that way. Not that it mattered, to his knowledge he was the only one in port that jumped the fence and found the other side greener. I shook my head and sent the finished forms to the shop to be processed and then sent the list of supplies to Gerald and Charlie's tablets.

“The old man sends his best guys and gave you a little present. I sent the list to your tablets, make sure you get only what is on the list this time! We can't live off corn chips and Fritos!”

Charlie laughed, “Ah, but if we didn't what would you eat kid!”

I balked at his retort and shook my head, a small smirk on my face, “touche...If you're going to get it at least make the flavors edible, I can't live on cardboard.” They both laughed at my response before falling silent and letting the music play.

I put my tablet away and went back to admiring the view out the port. I watched as the stars went by the window and the occasion blinking of satellites nearby. As much as I hated doing this run, I had to admit it would kind of be nice to have a change of scenery. It's been years since I saw trees, felt the simulated wind on my face, and the warmth of the sun cycle; as artificial as it was. I let my head fall back on my chair and opted to rest until we landed, there was a lot that had to be done once they arrived, and he needed fresh eyes to make sure it was done properly.


	4. The Space Between Us

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

  
  


**Summary:** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new race has made an appearance. The movement is called the “Genesis” movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the “ _Genesis”_ movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 4**

**Heero's POV**

We arrived late to the venue, as expected thanks to Relena and her persistence of looking perfect. The Speech went on as planned with no issues thankfully. We then ended up accompanying Relena and Milliardo to a charity even that followed. By the time we finished up, it was 7 pm, my leg had made its presence known after how long I was standing on it, and I was exhausted. I pulled up to my apartment complex at a quarter to 9 and just sat in the parking deck with my head resting against my Wheel. My leg was protesting and I wasn't so sure I could get out and walk to the elevator without it giving on me. The shocks had been persistent thanks to my constant walkthrough at the charity event. When I finally had a moment to sit Relena was there and asking to accompanied while she spoke with the others attending. I don't think I had a chance to sit for longer than three minutes at a time and I was paying for it.

With a sigh I mustered up the strength to step out of my vehicle, resting my hand on the hood of my car and stretching out my leg, forcing it to cooperate. It took a few minutes before I was able to limp to the elevator to get to my floor. The whole ride up to the 4th floor I was doing my exercises to make sure it didn't bind up even more. I was able to walk to my door and to my couch before collapsing on the couch. I needed to remove it to shower and I wasn't looking forward to it, it always caused a shock wave up my right side when the plates were disconnected.

I readied myself and took a deep breath before bending down and releasing the plates, I grunted in pain as the shock rolled up my right side for a minute before receding. I let the breath out that I was holding and placed the prosthetic shakily against the end table. At that moment my phone decided to go off, causing me to jump since I wasn't expecting the sound to pierce the comfortable silence of my living room. Without looking at who was calling I put the phone to my ear.

“What,” I was not in the mood to talk to anybody right now. All I wanted was to soak in the tub to loosen up the nerves in my legs and back and something edible that didn't have some french name.

“Hey...did I get you at a bad time?” It was Mikhail.

I ran my hand over my face and sighed, “No, sorry...It's been a rough day.”

I could almost hear the concern through the line, “Leg been acting up again?”

“That's putting it lightly...I may have to take Wufei's advice and look into the newer model...It's supposed to have fewer glitches. The problem is they will probably have to put a new connection plate in my leg as well...I doubt these plates will work with the newer version..”

“I'm sorry Heero, I wish there was more I could do...Do you still have that cream? The one that numbs?”

I smile, “Yeah, it's right where you left it last time you were here...How are things on your side?”

“Hectic, stressful...listen Heero...” I didn't like the sound of his hesitation.

“Listen... I don't think I will be able to get away during the break, they have me volunteering at the facility here in the bionics department to get some extra experience. With the way things are going it may be...quite a while before I will have free time to visit...”

I wasn't surprised, this wasn't the first time this has happened. Out of the four months together we've probably only had time to visit for the most of a month if you count up all the days. I was so stupid to think this time would be any different.

“Listen...I know the timing is bad to be dropping this all on you but...considering how things are going here, maybe we should take a break...It wouldn't be right of me to ask you to wait out the rest of my term. Look...I really like you but I'm not able to be there as much as I should. Maybe we should put this on hold until we can properly...”

I didn't hear the rest of what he was saying. This is how it always went with anything I tried to explore, It would last a few months and things would fall apart. I let out a shaky sigh and shut my eyes, “I understand, I get it. You don't need to explain Mikhail. I don't want to get in the way. You've worked so hard to get where you are and I don't want you feeling guilty about it.”

“Heero...”

I let my head fall limp and my free hand to go lax between my slightly spread legs, “No...really it's okay. I wish you the best.”

“...I'll be in touch Heero, I'm not saying we aren't going to work, the timing is just complicated. Are you going to be okay?” He honestly sounded concerned and guilty of voicing his concerns.

I leaned back on the couch and laid my head back on the cushions, “...Yeah, I'll be okay. Thank you for being honest.”

He didn't sound convinced, “...Alright...I am sorry Heero...Talk to you later?”

“....Yeah...” after a pause, I heard the phone go dead and the call was ended. I set the phone down on the couch beside me and just...stared at my ceiling. Why did I think this time would be any different? Any attempt at a relationship since Relena hasn't lasted longer than a few months before my job would get in the way or vise versa. To wrap up my last couple of years, it seemed to consist of booty calls instead of actual relationships, catching time when it was available, and attempting to make connections outside of sex.

I reached for the folded up wheelchair next to the couch and opened it. After I got it open I shifted to sit in it and wheeled myself to the bathroom. I locked the chair near the toilet and used it as leverage to stand and sit on the side of the tub. I turned on the water, felt the temperature, and proceeded to let it fill.

I glimpsed at myself in the mirror attached to the backside of my door, I looked ragged. My hair was coming out of the small ponytail I used to hold my sides out of my face during work. My hair hasn't changed much, it was a little longer but not enough to be drastically different, it was still dark brown and still didn't cooperate. It wasn't long enough to put it all up, only the sides seemed to be, hence the change in hairstyle. I still had lean muscle and if I were to judge my height, I would say I am just shy of 5'11. The only major changes over the last seven years was a small piercing in my left ear, the tattoo peeking from the collar of my shirt on the side of my neck, and the obvious missing right leg.

To be honest I was not as confident as others seemed to think. Sure I carried myself professionally, had a thing with order, and having a schedule, acted like my head was on straight like I knew what I wanted at the age of 24 but it was all a farce. If anybody had a chance to be inside my head for a day they would be surprised that I haven't eaten a bullet yet. I have major anxiety, OCD tendencies, slight depression, on top of PTSD, and screaming nightmares. I always second guess myself and my brain seems to misfire if it can't compute something that is going on, all thanks to my training. No amount of pills could make my issues disappear and make me believe in the confidence I project on a daily. I'm jumpy, I don't like surprises, and lapse back into my training when I don't completely understand something.

I shook my head and turned off the water. I stripped out of my clothes, let my hair down, and slowly sank myself into the steaming hot water. The relief was almost instant, the muscles in my leg and back began to relax once it came in contact with the hot water. I let out a sigh, laid my head against the back of the tub, and closed my eyes; just enjoying the instant relief the water gave my tightly wound body.

I don't know how long sat there, my mind blissfully numb for once, before I sank myself below the water and got on with washing my hair. By the time I was done washing my hair and rinsing off the water had turned lukewarm and the digital clock on the monitor stated half past 10. I let the water drain as I got out of the water and dried myself off perched on the toilet. My bathroom was not all that big but I was thankful for the tub. It was larger than most and wasn't so deep that it was a struggle to get out of.

I got back into the wheelchair and went to my room to find something decent to wear, I still needed to get something to eat and the only place open at this time of night would be the 24-hour Diner near the space dock. Thankfully I lived a short walk away otherwise I would have opted to order in. I put on a navy blue v-neck, half sleeve, silk shirt, and loose white sports shorts. I attempted to brush my hair into submission but it was a lost cause, I ended up just putting the sides back up in a small stubbed ponytail on the top of my head. I wasn't too concerned that it looked slightly messed due to it being so late, not many were near the bay at this time of night.

I reached for my temporary prosthetic, that was leaning against my side table, and slid it on. This one wasn't bionic and it wasn't anything fancy but it was more comfortable than trying to reconnect my other one, it was hollowed steel and pretty much dead weight but it would do for my purpose. I grabbed up the cane and stood from the chair. I hated having to use the thing but I wasn't going to get far without it. After I looked myself over one more time in the mirror above my dresser, I slid on my tennis shoes and headed out, locking the door behind me.

**************************

By the time I arrived at the Diner, it was ten after and looked to be relatively dead. A few people were sitting inside that I could see from the curb and one loan figure leaning against the light post outside smoking and looking at something on a tablet. I reminded myself there was no threat nearby and let myself relax marginally and started to approach the entrance, that when I heard it. A familiar baritone voice, that same baritone that brought calm and ease. I stopped in my tracks and just stared. The voice had come from the tall man leaning against the light post outside the diner.

“Are you fucking kidding me Howard...No....They took off right after we landed...Probably at a bar somewhere...What! No, I didn't tell them that...Fuck!”

I stood listening to the one-sided conversation he was having over his phone, I was frozen. I hadn't heard that voice in over a year, what the hell was he doing here? He hadn't noticed me yet and I was a little grateful. With the sounds of the conversation, he was not in the best of moods.

“Are you serious!... I have to what? I've never heard of that bullshit, it's never been an issue before.” At that moment he looked up and our eyes connected. The light glared off the lenses of his wire-frame glasses but I was able to see the slight raise of an eyebrow in irritation. “Whatever, I'll get the damn license tomorrow morning, nothing I can do about it right now...yeah...I'll keep you posted.” He disconnected the line and turned his full attention to me. I doubt he recognized me at that moment, I had stopped right outside the lights of the diner.

“Hey buddy, you got a problem?” I didn't know what to say if I should say anything. It had been over a year since they last spoke and anytime they did they always did it over the satellite phone. I hadn't realized how much he had changed over the seven years...It was a nice surprise.

Duo dropped his cigarette and snubbed it out with his boot, “Yo, are ya def! What's your problem, don't cha' know its impolite to stare?”

I pulled myself out of the shock and answered, “...Duo?” My voice was not more than a whisper and it sounded shaky.

It was that moment he realized who he was looking at. Duo's eyes widened behind his glasses and his skin paled slightly, “FUCK!”

Not sure how to take that, I stepped under the lamp and just looked at him. The last seven hears have been good to him, He had to be at least 6”1 and filled out his clothes in all the right places. I noticed he was sizing me up as well with his eyes before they landed on my leg. If his face could get any paler he would be a sheet of paper.

“Heero?....what...” His face went from shock to anger.

“What the fuck happened to you!”

I couldn't believe he had the nerve to be pissed. There is no way he couldn't have known about the incident that took place, it was all over the news and I didn't appreciate him playing dumb.

I set my mouth in a stern line and glared, “Don't play dumb, Maxwell. You know full well what happened!”

He looked confused and taken back by my words, “Heero...what?”

For a second their I honestly believed he didn't know but I wasn't going to fall for it and I wasn't going to deal with the pity. “I don't need your pity! You didn't seem too concerned when it happened, you have no right to be concerned now.” I said in a dead flat tone. This day was just turning out to be the worst day of the week, thankfully it was Friday and nothing else could slap me in the face.

“Whoa hold on there! I have no clue what you are going on about! Last I heard you and Relena were shacked up and planning to make babies! Nobody told me about this 'incident' and it looks to be more than just a small, not worth mentioning thing! What the hell happened, Yuy? Has everything just gone to shit in the last 4 years!”

I rested most of my weight on my cane and just glared at him. How could this be true I wondered, did he honestly not know what happened? I shook my head and walked up to him, stopping only a few inches from his face.

“You chose to stay uninformed. It was all over the news for weeks! I know the others have spoken to you since this shit happened. I can't believe they wouldn't mention this. It's been two fucking years, Maxwell and you want me to believe they didn't tell you?” my voice came out menacing and full of accusation.

Duo held his arms up in surrender, “Just take a step back 'Ro and think. Why would I lie about this? I've never lied to you so why would I start now?”

I worked my jaw a few times before stepping out of his personal space, he was right. I loosened the death grip I had on my cane and took a calming breath. “You're not joking are you...”

He rushed over and place his hand on my shoulders, there were honest concern and confusion in his eyes, “No 'Ro, I have no clue what has been going on. Any time the guys spoke with me it was short and nonsensical, honest. The last thing any of them told me was that you and Relena had gotten together and that you were working with Wu at preventers. Quatre never mentioned anything about...this...” He motioned to the prosthesis. “If he had I would have been there in a second, 'Ro. You gotta believe me!”

He shut his eyes and stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides. He looked defeated, “I know we haven't talked much in the past couple years but I still consider us friends ya' know?”

I swallowed the anger that had risen in my throat and backed down, “When was the last time you spoke with him?”

He reached his hand up and rubbed the back of his neck in thought, that is when I noticed his hair. The long braid was gone. I was completely shocked. Why would he go and cut his hair, I remember him telling me what it stood for back during the war. I was now just below his shoulder, half pulled up in a messy knot, held together with two chopsticks on his crown. I mean, it looked good but it was still unsettling.

“It's been a while...” He dropped his hand and shifted his stance. “Listen, I'm sorry I haven't been in contact. Howard is swamped, I'm usually out on runs more than I am in port. What's been going on?”

I dropped my gaze from his hair and sighed in exhaustion, “It's a long story and I'd rather not talk about it out here.” I looked over at the diner. “Look, I was just about to get something to eat. How long are you planning to be landside.”

He let out a sigh, “It's lookin' like my trip was extended. With all the new red tape, it's probably going to take me a couple of weeks to get the parts I need. The guys I came with will probably be taking off tomorrow with the supply run we needed but I'll have to stay landside.” He looked frustrated with the new events.

“Do you have a place to stay?” I asked.

“I was gonna hit up a Motel but I don't have the funds to cover however many weeks it's going to take to have these forms approved and another ship down here to haul...”

I shifted to my good leg in thought, “I live a few blocks down from here and I have a spare room.”

He shook his hands out in front of him, “Nah, I couldn't ask that especially with how shitty of a friend I've been lately.”

I smirked, “You didn't ask, I offered.”

He rubbed the back of his neck again and smirk, “Guess ya did. Thanks 'Ro. Think I'll take you up on it. Let me just message the guys and tell them the change in plans and grab my stuff. That gives ya time to get some grub.”

I nodded, “Meet out here in an hour? That long enough?”

He put on his joker's face and nodded, “Sounds good.” He turned on his heels and jogged back up the port waving behind him, “C'ya in a bit!”

  
  


**A/N :** Chapter four is completed. It took me a minute to figure out how they were going to run into each other, I don't know if I executed it well. Tell me what you think. Critique and comments welcome. Until next time :)


	5. The Space Between Us

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

  
  


**Summary:** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new race has made an appearance. The movement is called the “Genesis” movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the “ _Genesis”_ movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 5**

  
  


**Duo's POV**

Once I got back to port I started shoving the things thought I would be angrily into my bag. I couldn't believe that the others failed to mention anything about Heero! Where did they get off thinking I wouldn't want to know! I threw my bag down by hatch and ran my hand through my hair before punching the side of the ship, hearing it reverberate through the silent hull. I needed to get myself under control before I did some serious damage. I turned to lean against the wall and slowly slid down to sit by my bag, my hands buried in my hair. I was not prepared to deal with this in the state I was in.

The first few years we split we had made an effort to contact each other at least once a week, then life got in the way and things went sideways. Quatre was sucked into his family business, Trowa was busy keeping him sane, Wufei and Heero joined preventers, and I had the yard. The calls became less frequent and the conversations were less personal.

I gently bumped my head on the wall behind me, “...Fuck...” I looked down at my data watch and sighed.

/ _What now Maxwell../_ I wondered to myself as I closed my eyes. This whole thing was probably a bad move, I shouldn't be staying with him in his place.

I stood up and punched the code into the door and stepped out, bag slung over my shoulder. The door shut behind me and I made my way to the diner to meet up. I was so fucked...

*******************************

When I got to the front of the diner he was standing by the post I was leaning on earlier, his brows drawn together in thought as he stared down at my cigarette bud I put out earlier.

“Looks like we both have things that the other didn't know about,” He said before looking up and making eye contact. “When did you pick up the habit?”

I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed, “After me and Hilde split, I kinda went off the deep end. If it wasn't for Howard I probably would still be in a bar somewhere...It's the one thing I haven't been able to kick. As for drinking, I just avoid it all together...It's better not to have the temptation.”

He nodded as if he understood and tilted his head in the direction we would be going before he turned and started walking. I came up beside him and we walked in silence, the sound of our footsteps echoed on the pavement as a few cars drove by.

“So, I take it you and the banshee split up, I doubt she would move from her cushy mansion to live in the city.” I kicked an empty can into the street as we passed it.

“...We were together for three years before I ended things. She had...a skewed image of who I was or who I should have been.”

“When was that?” I inquired.

“Winter AC199...a week before her Christmas celebration...”

I winced and sucked air between my teeth, “Harsh...I mean, I'm not one to judge but yeah man...brutal.”

I heard him sigh and pause as if debating if he should continue, “She...wasn't a fan of the scars I carry from the war,”

I know he wasn't referring to the physical ones. “She was a constant thing after the war. At first, I found it annoying but she eventually...” He shook his head, “She helped me, got me some counseling, helped me put myself together.”

I just nodded and looked up at the stars, they looked so much different when landside, “I get it. Hilde had similar issues with me but failed to say anything about it. Instead, she just up and fucked someone while we were still a thing then broke it off, taking the money and company with her.” I sighed in memory. I placed my hands in my back pockets as we turned a corner.

He nodded and didn't ask for any other explanation. It's not surprising, most of them were made aware of my break with Hilde, it was everything after that they weren't privy on.

I decided to drop the subject for the time, “So, I have heard a bit about this “Genesis” movement? How are things in that department.”

“They are smart, cautious, and always steps ahead. Every time we think we have a lead on where their operating from they move. The only way they would have information on our movements is if there is a...”

I cut him off, “Rat?” He nodded and stopped to wait for the crosswalk to light up green.

“Une has been busy trying to figure out who is leaking the information but they are covering their tracks well.” He added and started walking across the street.

I followed a step behind him. He looked a lot different from the last time we had seen each other. His hair looked slightly longer, he gained a few inches in height from what I could tell, and Preventers had done....great...on his body. I took a minute to watch his back as he walked. Don't judge me, I'm not blind and anybody would be able to see that he was handsome and, despite the leg, looked good. He turned down the sidewalk and stopped in front of a large building with four floors. The building was modern and well taken care of. There was a pathway between the two buildings that looked to lead to a pool. There was another building between the two, on the other side of the gated in a pool, that looked to be a gym.

I walked up beside him as he put a code into the pad on the left building keypad. “Not bad 'Ro.”

He smirked and looked over his shoulder as the door clicked open, “I hope it's better than, 'not bad' with the rent I pay.”

I followed him to the elevator and we waited as the light above went from floor to floor before making it to us. We stepped inside and he pushed '4' on the pad at the doors shut.

“You live on the top floor? Man...must have been a bitch to get everything up there but I bet the view is awesome. Do you have a balcony?” I inquired.

He nodded and watched the numbers climb, “It's on the poolside, you get a clear view of the colony and can see the port and park.”

“Nice, that's Preventers pay for ya'!” the elevator dinged and we made our way off and down the hall. His apartment sat at the end of the building, number 405. He put his key in the door and we stepped in.

I took a moment to appreciate the complex. The décor was very modern and sleek; navy blue suede couch, black metal end tables, and coffee table with glass tops, silver lamps with off-white shades. In front of the couch was a large matching entertainment center with a decent sized TV, movies were on the shelves on either side. Above the tv, there were CDs and a simple player. Two standing speakers were on either side of the TV stand.

To the right there were glass sliding doors that lead to the balcony, navy-blue curtains hung on either side of the doors. To the left was the kitchen. There was plenty of cabinet and basic appliances. There was a counter that doubled as an island and the table sat between it and the living room. There was a hallway to the left of the entertainment center that probably leads to the two rooms and the bathroom. The walls had a warm white color to them except the wall the TV was against, it was an accent wall of a light storm gray. The floors were light-colored wood and the kitchen had white tile to match the counters. The appliances were black and the cabinets themselves were dark mahogany wood.

“Wow...yeah...I see what you meant about the rent. Nice place 'Ro really.”

He gave a small almost unnoticed smile and toed off his shoes before stepping into the kitchen. I followed his lead and removed my boots and set my bag down by the door in front of a small coat closet, before walking over to the island. I leaned against the counter and just watched as he rummaged through a cabinet near the fridge, can ya blame me? He had a nice backside.

“Still not a fan of tea?” He asked as he looked over his shoulder, catching me staring. I felt my face heat slightly and I cleared my throat.

“Yeah, no. Do you have any coffee?” I asked, bringing my eyes up to meet his.

“Unfortunately, no...I've never been a fan of the taste.” He pulled down his tea before shutting the cupboard and opening the fridge, “I have some protein drinks...”

I smirk and step up behind him to look in over his shoulder. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed the 'blue frost' protein drink, my chest came in contact with his back and my arm slightly touched his in the process. I felt him tense up and I stepped back slowly, “Sorry man, it's been a while since I had to work around a personal space if you know what I mean.”

I saw him swallow and step back to shut the fridge door and lean against the counter, “It's okay...just wasn't expected. I didn't hear you approach...”

We stood there for a minute in comfortable silence. I took the time to look around the kitchen and its layout. I was brought out of my admiring by the feel of something rubbing against my leg. “shit!” I dropped the bottle to my surprise and it clattered to the floor.

“Jynx!” He bent down and picked up the black cat by my leg. “I'm sorry about her, I should have mentioned I had a cat.” He reached down with his free hand and picked up the bottle before handing it to me.

He had a cat, the great Heero Yuy had a cat named Jynx. I smiled and shook my head before reaching over and petting the small cat in his arms. It's green eyes closed in delight and it started to purr as I softly scratched between its ears. “It's cute.” I said with a soft smile, “friendly thing isn't it.”

He nodded and held it as it purred and soaked in the attention. “She's very docile and loves attention.”

I chuckled before dropping my hand and taking the offered drink out of his, “When did you get her?”

“About a year ago, Wufei's Cat had a litter and he thought I needed something to keep me company.” He explained, “She was the runt of the litter, he didn't even think she would survive but she was determined. It was a small litter of two so he decided to keep the other and offered her to me.” He set her down on the ground and turned to prepare his tea.

I took a seat at the island and just watched as he worked, “So...”

“Go ahead and ask Duo...It's not a sore topic much anymore” He interjected.

The questions that were whirling around in my head just came flowing out of my mouth, “Your leg...what happened? When? What wasn't I told? How long were you in the hospital...”

He put his hand up to get me to pause as he steeped his tea with the other, “Slow down, I can only answer one question at a time.” I saw a small upturned movement at the corner of his mouth and I paused to take a breath.

He threw away the tea bag and turned around, rested his elbows on the other side of the island, and cupped his tea in his hand. Our eyes met and he proceeded, “It was two years ago. There was a bombing at a venue Relena was giving a speech at. I wasn't on the team that swept the building because I was investigating a lead on “Genesis”. I accompanied her to the venue as her guard and there was a pressure plate under a mat by the podium. She stepped on it, I heard a click and I acted on instinct. She came out with a few scrapes and bruises but the scaffolding fell on me and crushed my leg and injured my back. My leg was not able to be saved so they had to amputate...” He paused for a moment to let the information sink in.

My eyes were wide, I couldn't believe I wasn't told about this by anybody! Did they think I didn't care? That I didn't want to be bothered?

“They ended up using bionics to fix my spine, they had to completely restructure it. As for the leg...” He continued, “I entered the testing trials for prosthetics they were experimenting with. At the time it was still new tech and they needed someone willing to take part in it. I didn't see any other choice at the time due to working for preventers, I couldn't accomplish much with just one leg, especially since I'm an active agent.”

He willingly went into the trails? It wasn't something Genesis did as a 'fuck you' to the system? I sat my drink down and ran my hand through my hair in thought. Being that it happened two years ago it lined up with the little political knowledge I had. The Government had decided that it was best to make a legal route for people to get augmentations done to avoid rioting, to keep the peace. It still didn't please the masses because Genesis was still going on and finding new things to experiment with such as gene splicing, which was prohibited due to the side effects.

“I was informed that I was in a coma for a month before I finally came to, Sally was surprised I'd survived, any normal person wouldn't have,” he said in conclusion.

“That's not hard to believe, we had some shit done to us to make us that way though...thanks to those bastard scientists...” He nodded in agreement.

“All I can recall after I agreed was a lot of pain, I was in and out of consciousness due to the stress it caused on my body. It took about three weeks of surgeries and modifications were done to my leg just to set It up to accept the prosthetic...”

“Gawd, 'Ro...I am so damn sorry.” I couldn't help myself, I slowly reached out and touched his wrist. His hands tightened slightly around his mug before they relaxed.

“It was six months of physical therapy to get me walking again and familiar with the prosthetic. Sally said it was a major thing because most that undergo back surgery takes longer than that to regain the ability to walk.” He took a sip of his tea before setting it down. He never tried to dislodge my comforting touch from his wrist.

I could feel the anger rising in my gut. I was so pissed at myself for not being there and not staying on top of things. He had to go through all this shit without someone to help and I fucking hated myself for it.

“I'm still, in the trials, the prosthetics need to be refined before they are available for the general public. I still have therapy sessions going on to make sure everything is functioning properly. I've been through three different prosthetics so far and each time I had to re-familiarize myself with them. My rare blood type and unique make-up have been causing issues...”

I didn't know what to say, I was completely speechless. I sat back slightly on the stood and took a long swig from the protein drink before continuing, “How so...I assume there is still a problem now?”

He picked up his mug and walked toward the living room, I was a step behind him with my drink and joined him on the couch. He set the cane against the end table and reached down to undo the latches on his leg,

“The leg works like a regular leg by contact plates. They surgically adhered the contact plates to the muscles in my leg and similar plates are in the prosthetic. When the two plates connect, it allows the electrical outputs from my brain to send messages down the prostheses, allowing it to function as if it was still my own.”

I watched as he removed the prostheses turned to face me on the couch and pulled his shorts up slightly so I could see what he was talking about. The bottom of his leg had a metal plate on it that looked to function as the knee cap. I hesitantly reached out and paused. I looked up at him and waited to see if he would answer my silent question.

He nodded slightly and tensed up as if to brace himself for the touch. I looked back down at the plate and let my fingers run over the plate. I felt him shudder and I pulled away immediately before I shot my eyes back up to make contact with his.

His brows were slightly creased and his breathing had become a little shaky. “Sorry...”

He shook his head in answer and swallowed hard enough that I visibly noticed the slow movement of his Adam's apple in his neck, “It's....it's not painful...just sensitive. The muscles and nerves attached to it are still alive...so when you touch...” He didn't seem to have the words to explain the feeling, not that I could accurately picture it anyway.

I rested my hand above the plate on his leg and took a minute to look at the plate. Given its purpose I understood why it was so thin but no metal that thin would be able to withstand much wear n tear without damage over time, considering his job. “Do you have the prostheses somewhere that you don't have to move to get it?”

I felt the muscles in his legs relax a fraction when he realized I wasn't going to touch the plate again, “The one I have right now is a basic one, no bionics are in it. The one that connects to these plates is in my room...”

I just nodded and inspected the plate further, I didn't need the prosthetic to know a similar plate would be in the joint that fitted to his leg to make his knee. “What kind of issues have you been having?”

“It binds...Depending on how long I've been standing and moving around that day, the conducting jell becomes thin and the connection becomes broken. The best way I can explain it is like a live wire that has nothing to send the energy to, it sends shocks between the gap and causes shock waves up my right side, which sometimes messes with the bionics in my spine, causing my back to hurt and in severe cases a disk to slip. I usually don't allow it to get to that level of severity, but when it does it requires me to go in and have my back readjusted. The process is not pleasant...”

I could imagine. I shook my head and sat back against the arm of the couch just staring, “And they haven't come up with any better way to fix it?”

He shook his head and pulled his shorts back down over the end of his leg, “They have a new model they are testing right now that involves some sort of flexible material, allowing the contact to be more constant.”

“Have you considered...” He cut me off.

“Wufei already suggested that I give it a try. I explained that I couldn't miss more work due to the thing. If it weren't for my job I probably wouldn't have entered the trials, to begin with.” He sounded short and irritated, as if he had heard the same thing more times then he cared to.

I held my arms up in surrender, rested my hands behind my head, and leaned back against the side of the couch. I could understand why he wouldn't want to go through the process again. From the sounds of it, he would be going back to square one. “Okay, I get it...”

I looked over at the display on the wall and realized we'd been talking for a couple of hours. As if on cue, I yawned and stretched my arms out above my head. “Damn...didn't realize how late it is.” I looked over at Heero and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts, absently rubbing at his leg.

“Maybe we should call it a night, I gotta get down to the license place early tomorrow to fill out some paperwork,” I suggested.

He nodded in agreement, “Sorry...I didn't mean to cut you off. I'm just tired of having the same argument with everyone. Wufei suggested it, Relena has insisted on it on top of everything else she is doing, and then I hear it from you.”

“Look, I get it, man. I'm not tryin' to pressure you or anything, but it's something to consider. From the sounds of it, this may help with the issue you're having and would cause you less grief in the long run. But I want you to know I got your back regardless of whatcha do.”

“I appreciate it...” He stood up slowly, using his cane as a crutch, “If you want to get your stuff, I'll take you to the room.”

I stretched before standing and grabbing my bag from the front door. Following him down the hall he stopped at the first door on the left and opened it, “This is the spare, my room is right across the hall if you need anything and the bathroom is at the end of the hall if you need to use it.”

I nodded and gave him a grin, “I appreciate it man...talk to you in the morning?”

He nodded and stepped aside to let me through the door. I didn't have much energy left to burn after that conversation. I walked into the room, shut the door behind me and the last thing I remember was collapsing on the twin size bed in the room before passing out.

My last thought was tomorrow was going to be interesting before I drifted off into blissful darkness.

**A/N:** Another chapter finished. I have got a lot of ideas about where this story could go. I hope you all don't find it droning or slow. I've always been one that liked the books that had over 600 pages...or more, anything less doesn't capture and hold my interest for long and the plot always seems to have holes. Critique and comments welcome, Until next time :)

  
  



	6. The Space Between Us

**A/N** **:** Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

 **Summary:** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new race has made an appearance. The movement is called the "Genesis" movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the " _Genesis"_ movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

****The Space Between Us** **

****Chapter 6** **

** Heero's POV **

Opening my eyes, I looked at the clock on my bedside table, it's blue lights flashed 9:30, which was late for me. I threw my arm over my eyes and let out a sigh, my leg was still slightly aching and my back twinged as I bent my left leg, making a tent in the sheet that covered me. Duo's soft mumbling voice filtered down the hall from the kitchen. From the sounds of the conversation, he didn't seem amused but was trying to keep his voice down. I smiled at the amusing thought that he even knew what morning looked like, he was never known to be an early riser.

After running into him last night I felt emotionally and physically drained. It had been two years since the last time I spoke with him, even longer since the last time we spoke face-to-face. When I first saw him near the port I thought I was seeing things. Any time I tried to contact him he always seemed out on a job. On the rare occasion we did catch up the conversation was always short and curt, as if he was bothered by it.

Despite the radio silence and the short conversations, being space-side seemed to have done some good for him. He has calmed down some from his usual obnoxious self and has turned into a decent young man. From what I could tell time has been good to him, he looked good if not a little skinny. What surprised me the most was the length of his hair. His braid was gone...he was always adamant about keeping that damn thing and swore he would never cut it. I feel bad for not asking more about him, but after the emotional onslaught after seeing him again, my brain short-circuited and defaulted back to my old habits.

Sitting up in the bed slowly, I rested my elbows on my legs and ran my hand down my face. / _Should probably get up.../_

I shifted myself over to the wheelchair, slipped on some sweat pants, pinned up the right leg, and made my way into the kitchen.

* * *

"Damn-it Gerald, do I have to hold you guy's hands! You got the list of supplies we need, go get it and load it up!" Duo's voice yelled as the kitchen came into my view.

He looked beyond frustrated, his hair was down and he was wearing a pair of blue sweats with what I assumed to be the abbreviation of his college down the right leg. He ran his fingers through his hair in irritation as he looked at his tablet. He hadn't seemed to notice me yet.

"No...Fuck seriously? Jezus..." Duo sighed and rested his elbows on the countertop, his tablet between his bent elbows. His brown hair fell forward around the fingers in his hair.

"I don't care how fucked up you got last night! Get the food supplies on the list and get your asses back to port and ready to go by this afternoon...NO..." he took a deep breath, stood up, and walked around the island to grab a power drink from the fridge. He roughly opened the door, pulled out the drink, and slammed the fridge door shut making it rattle from the force.

"I'm done discussing this with you. Get your shit together and get the damn supplies, Howard is expecting you two back this evening."He put his finger up to his ear and turned off his phone and snapped around. His violet eyes finally made contact with mine and he jumped.

"Fuck 'Ro...didn't hear you.." He ran his hand over his face and took a large swig from his drink. "Sorry if I woke ya...the dumb asses can't do anything on their own..."

I held my hand up and shook my head, "No apology needed, I was already up." I Wheeled over to the fridge and grabbed a drink out myself. I watched as he seemed to calm down and then he leaned against the island counter. We stared at each other for a few minutes, neither of us knowing what to say.

After a minute of awkwardness, I cleared my throat and wheeled myself into the living room. He followed me and sat down on the couch, "So..."

I decided to spare him, "So, you will be going to the license place today?"

He sat up and nodded, "Yeah, something about needing a transfer license for some parts we need for a tow ship." He looked down at his watch and started, "SHIT! Do ya mind if I catch a quick shower? I'm runnin' late as is thanks to those worthless idiots, couldn't find themselves out of a paper bag by themselves I tell ya..."

I chuckled softly and gave him a nod, "That's fine," He playfully winked at me before taking off down the hallway.

I made my way into the kitchen and started to heat water when I heard the door shut and the shower start. Seems like his habit of not being on time still hasn't changed. As my water heated I went into my room to get ready for the day.

 _/I should probably do some laundry today.../_ I thought to myself as I rummaged through my drawers.

I managed to find a blue v-neck fitted t-shirt and only had one pair of faded, designer jeans. With a sigh I slipped the clothes on and grabbed a button-up white shirt as well, making myself somewhat presentable. I usually wouldn't even bother on the weekends but seeing that I will have to get some groceries and do laundry later, I couldn't go around town only in sweats, much to my dismay. Grabbing a pair of socks I slipped them on, grabbed my prosthetic and contact jell, and made my way back into the living room.

Duo came out of the bathroom as I made my way down the hall. He was wearing a pair of low hip-hugging jeans and a black, fitted sleeveless turtle neck that looked to be corded and complimented him in all the right places.

He rubbed a towel through his hair before he saw me and gave me a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Hey...I don't think I had a chance to say it last night but thanks for letting me stay for a bit. You saved me having to bug Howie for an advancement on my paycheck."

I just shook my head and made a dismissive motion with my hand, "It's no problem, Were you hungry? I could whip up something fast before you head out to the licensing place. You probably won't get out of there until well afternoon."

He draped the towel around his shoulders and snorted, "Don't I know it...I would have been there right as they opened if those idiots hadn't called." He rested his hands in his back pocket and shifted to lean against the wall with his shoulder.

"I'll start on it as soon as I put my prosthetic on, how does an omelet sound?"

He smiled a little brighter at the mention of food and nodded, "That sounds great! Got any mushrooms by chance?"

I nodded and started to wheel toward the couch. He followed me and plopped down on the couch to finish drying his hair. I took up the other end of the couch and rolled up my jeans. "So, is that the one you normally wear?" He asked.

"Yeah, this is the one with the bionics...In all honesty, I usually don't wear it on the weekends but I have to make some runs while your gone and this one is easier to move around with..." I answered while gently applying the contact jell to the plate on my leg. I winced slightly at the tenderness and noticed my leg looked a bit swollen, probably from overuse.

"Can I see the prosthetic?" He asked softly as he dropped the towel back around his shoulders. I nodded slightly before passing him the prosthetic and went back to applying the jell.

He stared at it intently and tested the weight in his hand as if fascinated by how light it was. Fake skin covered the bionics, nobody would be able to tell that it wasn't his real leg except for the toes pointed like a doll's.

He had a look of concentration on his face as he touched the contact plate, "When was the last time this was looked at? It looks like the plate in the thing is starting to wear. That could be causing your binding as well since the plate isn't smooth."

I shrugged at his inquiry, "The binding didn't seem to be that big of a deal and I didn't warrant it bad enough to have the plate replaced. With how often I am on it I should probably have it looked at more often but I didn't see the need. I'm still able to work with it, even with the occasional binding. I've gotten used to them. I only seem to notice it when it becomes moderately painful or severe."

I reached out and took the prosthetic from him and lined it up with my leg. With a small intake of breath, I connected it to my leg and let out a shaky breath. My leg cramped up for a minute as the connection was made and then relaxed, leaving a dull ache behind.

Duo stared at me during the whole process with a disconcerting look on his face, "Does it hurt like that every time you connect it? I'm sure that's not normal 'Ro, you should get the plate checked out."

I let out a frustrated sigh and looked up at him, "It's none of your concern. I've been handling this by myself from the beginning, I don't need someone to help me now."

He had a look of disbelief on his face and I could swear I saw a little bit of hurt in those violet eyes. He looked down and started rubbing at his hair again with a sigh before getting up off the couch, "Whatever..."

He made his way back down the hall and shut his bedroom door. Who was he to worry now? I know it wasn't his fault that he wasn't around when it happened but I was upset with his lack of keeping up-to-date on things going on land-side. He couldn't just come back down here and act like no time had passed and like nothing had happened. He disappeared years ago without a call and left the rest of us to wonder what happened to him. It had been months before I was able to track him down and even then he seemed to want to be left alone. I sighed and rolled down my pant leg before standing with a wince.

 _/I need to take it easy today.../_ I thought to myself as I slowly made my way into the kitchen to prepare our late breakfast.

* * *

I was just finishing up the second omelet when he came out with his hair dry and partially pulled back in a small top-knot. "That smells good 'Ro."

He sat down on at the island and I slid the mushroom omelet in front of him by his power drink. "I'm surprised you asked for mushrooms. You used to hate them."

With a shrug, he took a bite out of the omelet and closed his eyes in delight. He made a small 'mmm' noise as he continued to eat the rest in vigor. I smiled at his response and took a bite out of my omelet. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before I decided to break it.

I motioned at his hair with my fork, "So, what made you decide to cut your hair. I would have never thought you would have cut it off willingly."

He took a swig from his drink before answering, "It's stupid really...Leave it to me to get the damn thing stuck in an airlock. It got stuck between the doors and it almost ripped out of my scalp! I had no choice but to cut it or end up with a bald spot and a major concussion. I was able to retrieve it after the room was pressurized. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of the thing. It still feels odd now, it happened about three months ago on a job."

I nodded at his explanation, "Shame...As much as I hated the thing it suited you. Not saying your hair doesn't look good now but it's different." In all honesty, I was never bothered by his hair. It seemed to compliment him in a way. I enjoyed helping him with it on the rare occasion he needed help with it when he was injured.

He took another bite of food, "What about you? I never thought you would let that mop grow out." There was a small amusing smile on his face.

I ran my free hand through my bangs and looked up at it with a shrug, "I was looking for a change I guess. Relena always liked it short. After leaving her I guess I figured if I let it grow out that she would back off. She never seemed to be fond of long hair."

He chuckled softly, "I doubt there is anything you could do to chase her off 'Ro. She has always been infatuated with you. Still sorry to hear you guys didn't work out, I would have expected you guys to be married with kids by now." He shook his head and finished off his omelet.

"If she had it her way we would have been engaged the moment I entered her employ." I shook my head, "I couldn't bring myself to care for her in the way she wanted me to. She still has the thought in her head that I just need space and I'll come back eventually. To tell you the truth I was hoping that we could be friends. I will always be grateful for what she did for me and my job but she is making it almost impossible."

He stood up and set the empty plate in the sink, "That sucks 'Ro. I can't stand that banshee, then again we never seemed to get along. But I know she means a lot to you even if it's not in a romantic sense. I wish I could have that kind of relationship with Hilde but she pretty much shot that to shit. Sure, I helped her out once or twice but nothing will ever be the same." He threw his empty bottle away before turning to lean on the island next to me. "So, what are your plans today."

"I have some laundry that needs to be done and probably should do some groceries. Other than that I may go for a run later this afternoon or to the pool, it helps when my leg and back are inflamed." I responded.

"Mind if I join ya? Its been a while since I have gone on a run and ages since I was in a pool. Living in space kinda makes those kinds of luxuries impossible." He inquired.

I stood and winced slightly before placing my plate in the sink as well, "Sure, I wouldn't mind the company."

He rested his hand on my shoulder and sighed, "Look, I know you don't want me butting in but it's obvious that leg is botherin' ya. Do you have any pain meds?"

I sighed and shrugged his hand off my shoulder, "They are in the bathroom cabinet...I don't like taking them because they make me drowsy."

He stuck his hands in his back pockets with a sigh, "Maybe you should take some anyway. You're gonna be out and about today and honestly, I'd feel better if ya took some."

I sat down at the island and sipped at my tea with a defeated sigh, "Fine...I'll take half the dosage before I leave, now will you drop it? I don't need your mother henning me...Wufei is bad enough about it."

He chuckled softly and ruffled my hair, "He's your partner, wouldn't do him any good if ya collapsed during a job." I pushed his hand out of my hair with an annoyed look on my face.

"Well, I better get goin'." He pulled out his comm unit, "Oh, that reminds me, can I get your number. That way I can let you know when I'm on my way back."

I looked at him nonplussed, "You don't already have it?"

He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck while holding out his comm unit to me, "Any time you guys called it was always on the satellite phone or to Howard's port." That was right, we never really did get his number after he changed it. I took his comm unit and pressed it to the back of mine, transferring my number to his contact list.

"Thanks, I'll text you later so that you have my number in your phone." he got a look of thought on his face before continuing, "Also...Could you hold off on telling the guys that I'm land-side? We didn't leave on the best...terms."

I looked at him slightly confused. The last that I knew he and the other's were on good terms, maybe it was only Wufei? He didn't seem to be upset with Duo when he mentioned him the other day. I nodded before placing the comm back in my pocket. "I don't plan to run into them but if they reach out I won't mention it."

He smiled before placing his comm back in his pocket as well, "Thanks," He walked over to put on his shoes and turned to face me one more time, "Look...I know we didn't leave on the best of terms either. I am sorry for just ghosting...I appreciate you being so hospitable even with the rift I made..." He turned and opened the door, "Guess what I'm tryin' to say is sorry, I wish I wouldn't have cut everyone off and caused all the misunderstandings I did, I just hope that I can repair the damage." With a sad smile to me, he stepped out the door and softly closed it behind him.

* * *

It was about 11:30 by the time I finished getting ready to go after Duo left. As promised, I took half of my pain meds and my leg had loosened up enough for me to manage. Before I left, I put my clothes in the wash and decided to go ahead and do his as well to save on money. After it was dried and put away I headed out to the grocery store to pick up some things. My watch beeped at me, breaking me from staring at all the different brands of coffee, wondering which one Duo preferred. I looked down at my watch and tapped on the message with a smirk.

**Duo: Holy hell this line is ridiculous!**

I smirked and typed out my response on the small screen, **It's worse at the DMV.**

**Duo: There is no fucking way I am getting out of here for a couple of hours, I haven't even gotten the forms to fill out yet.**

**You: Patience is a virtue...**

**Duo: One that I lack!**

I smirked again before turning back to the Coffee. Giving up on trying to figure it out on my own, I figured I would just ask.

**You: I'm at the Grocery store. Was there any specific Coffee you wanted?**

The screen was blank for a few minutes before it pinged with his response.

**Duo: You're a life saver! Galactic: French Vanilla Bold.**

I knew the brand, Trowa preferred the same brand except he liked the Mocha flavor.

**You: Is there anything else that you want me to pick up?**

**Duo: You don't have to go through the trouble 'Ro. Coffee is plenty.**

I grabbed the Coffee off the shelf and added it to my basket. I had a few vegetables and pork to make Shogayaki and some of the 'blue frost' power drinks he seemed to prefer. As I debated what else I would need my earpiece beeped, informing me of an incoming call.

I pushed the button to answer, "Yuy"

"Hey, Heero! How are you doing." It was Relena.

I internally sighed before answering, "Is there something I can do for you Miss Peacecraft?"

"What have I said about the formalities is Re-le-na. Would it kill you to say my name every once and a while?" She sounded perturbed.

I sighed, "I'm busy what is it that you need Relena..."

"Now was that so hard?" She huffed, "I was wondering what you were up to today. Isn't today your day off? I thought maybe we could meet up for lunch at that little cafe we used to go to. It's been so long since the last time we went out that wasn't business-related."

"Look Relena, I am busy and you know exactly the reason why we haven't done anything outside of work. If there is nothing else I would like to get back to what I was doing." I responded in an irritated tone.

"Oh come on Heero...I thought we were still friends. Friends hang out and do things, I miss the stuff we used to do." She wined over the phone.

"Relena...it's not a good idea."

"Please? I miss spending time with you Heero, what could it hurt."

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose, "Fine, but this isn't anything but lunch Relena, don't read into it."

She giggled, "Oh I wouldn't DREAM of it Heero. Meet you there in...let's say an hour?"

"That's acceptable, I'll see you then." I disconnected the call and went up to the front to pay for the items before heading back out to the car.

* * *

I was able to get back to the apartment and put everything away with time to spare. Shutting the door and locking it, I decided just to walk to the Cafe. By the time I arrived, Relena was sitting at an outside table and waved me over.

"Heero! So nice to see you outside of that stuffy work uniform, you look good! Is that a new shirt?" She gave me a short hug and kissed my cheek.

I stiffened when she embraced me and gently pushed her back without reciprocating before taking the seat across from her. She stood there with a pout on her face for a minute before it was replaced with a smile and she sat back down in her seat.

"I'm so glad you agreed to come! It's such a beautiful day out, it would have been a shame to spend it inside. How has your day been?" she inquired.

I shrugged and picked up the menu. I had nothing to say to her and didn't know what she expected to get out of this meeting. It used to be easy to speak with her but after we broke up it became difficult. I didn't know what I could say that she wouldn't read to far into or take the wrong way, so I opted to just let her talk.

"Oh don't be like that! Tell me about your day, has anything exciting happened?"

I sighed and set the menu down, "There isn't much to say, Miss Peacecraft, It's just the normal day of laundry and groceries, I don't always have something exciting going on, you know this." I hated how she tended to act like we didn't live together for three years. It's like she's completely forgotten how things were during the time we were together.

She sighed in annoyance and picked up her menu. When the waitress came over, I ordered an Asian Chicken Salad with water and she ordered her usual Turkey BLT with iced tea. The waitress nodded and winked at me before walking away to put our order in.

She huffed and rested her elbow on the table, propping her head in her hand, "RE-LE-NA, its Relena not Miss Relena or Miss Peacecraft. Honestly Heero, after everything we've shared acting professionally isn't going to change what happened."

She continued, "Anyway, how are things? You rarely talk about your life outside of work anymore and I refuse to believe that you do nothing in your spare time."

I rubbed at my forehead to try and relieve the headache that was starting to form, "Honestly Relena, nothing has been going on that is worth mentioning."

"What about that man you were seeing, Mikhail was it? How are things going with him." Her face screwed up in distaste.

"I don't want to talk about it Relena, since when were you so interested to hear about him anyway," I said defensively.

Her eyes twinkled slightly in interest, "I've always been interested in your well-being and happiness Heero. Something happen between you two?"

The waitress chose that moment to come over with our drinks and inform us that our food would be ready shortly. I nodded to her politely in thanks and took a drink from my glass, "I already said I don't want to talk about it. It doesn't concern you anyway."

"Oh come on Heero, you used to be able to talk to me about anything. Despite how I feel about your...preferences," she responded in a displeasing tone.

I have had about enough of her attitude toward my preferences. She hasn't made it any secret what she thought on the matter. I pushed my chair back and threw my arms up in a rare show of frustration. "This isn't going to work Relena. If you refuse to get over your hang-ups on my life choices, there is no way we are going to find a middle ground. You can think what you will about my preferences but you don't have to blatantly show your disgust in it."

Relena hurried to reach out and grab my hands and rested them on the table, gently rubbing her thumbs over the backs of them, "I'm sorry Heero! I just can't believe you left me for the preference of men. Do you know how that makes me feel? People look at me differently now, like I was such a disappointment that you prefer men to me."

I sighed and pulled my hands back, running one through my hair that I had pulled back in a small half ponytail before going out. "It wasn't you okay...Don't let what others think bother you. It's that simple, why is it so hard for you to ignore. You have no problem ignoring the press, why not this?"

"Because I still care for you Heero. You're the one that called it off, and at the worse time, I might add. I was willing to be patient and help you transition into peacetime. Everything I did was for you..." she replied.

"No...everything you did was for your image. You didn't like the way I carried myself at diplomatic affairs, you tried to change my clothing and insisted that I kept my hair short and manageable. All for your image."

Hurt shown in her eyes as she sat back in her chair, crossing her legs at the knee, "I'm sorry you think that way but it couldn't be farther from the truth. I was trying to help you fit in, show you what was acceptable in public and how you should carry yourself. You were too stubborn to listen..."

Hearing the conversation the waitress cautiously approached the table with the food and left with a sympathetic look in my direction. I wasn't about to get back into this conversation with her and didn't warrant Relena with a response. I just shrugged and took a bite from my salad.

We sat in silence for a few minutes eating our food before she let out a sigh, "Look, I'm sorry okay? Is that what you want to hear? I won't try to change you, I realize that now. Hasn't this charade lasted long enough? Come back to me Heero, you would want for nothing and could work as my bodyguard again. I'm sure the pay is better than the preventers, why are you being so stubborn in this?"

I suddenly was no longer hungry and sat my fork down by my half-eaten salad, "It's not a charade Relena, it's been three years, how much longer are you going to wait for an outcome that doesn't exist?"

She sighed and took a drink from her tea, "I refuse to believe this is going to last. You'll eventually get bored with that lifestyle and want a family. This Mikhail can't give you children or a title like I can. Please just think about the possibilities..."

I have had enough. I threw money down on the table to pay for my meal and stood, "This meeting is over Relena. And for your information, Mikhail broke it off with me last night. The distance was something we both were having trouble with while he was in school, not that it is any of your business."

"Heero, sit back down, you're making a scene." She whispered as she looked around warily at the people that were sitting near us.

I shook my head in disbelief and pushed my chair in, "Until you get over your hang-ups I don't see us even being able to talk. I am sick of your demeaning attitude on the subject. For now on, if you need me contact Une." Her face was beat red with embarrassment. With one last glance, I walked away to head back to the apartment.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** another chapter finished, yay! I want to apologize for the long wait, things have been crazy over here and I couldn't find the motivation to continue at the pace I was. I hope you enjoy the chapter and thanks again for all the wonderful reviews! :)

* **Shogayaki** \- Classic Japanese Ginger Pork dish. It's made with tender sliced pork loins in sweet ginger sauce with a side of rice and veggies. A simple recipe is done usually in 20 minutes.

  
  



	7. The Space Between Us

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

 **Summary:** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new group has made an appearance. The movement is called the "Genesis" movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the " _Genesis"_ movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

****The Space Between Us** **

****Chapter 7** **

** **Duo's POV** **

_/_ _Shit, shit, shit!/_ I thought as I ran down the platform to board the train.

The license place was ridiculous. After I contacted Heero it took me at least three hours to get the paperwork and fill it out. By the time I finished and they were able to process my request, the desk lady informed me that it would not be reviewed until Monday. I shared a couple of words with her and her boss but nothing changed the outcome.

Once I was done there I had to meet with the guys at the port to sign off on the supplies and check that it was all there before the delivery guy was satisfied enough to load it onto the ship. That alone took another hour.

I helped Gerald and Charlie with the launch papers before informing them that I wouldn't be going with them. They were not happy with the information and had some colorful words to say about it, they wanted to be granted more time land-side until at least Monday. I argued with them for about 45 minutes before they shut up about it and got on their way.

After they left I sent Howard an e-mail to inform him of the changes and their ETA. At least he was professional about it, I wasn't about to have the staff on his port go without food just because the two idiots wanted to get their jollies off. Howard thought the situation was funny but I didn't see the humor in it, obnoxious old man.

I arrived at the platform a few minutes before the train arrived and sighed in relief. I thought I would have to wait another 30 minutes for the next train and it was already going on 5:30. This whole day was a mess and just taxing, to say the least. All I wanted to do was get back to the apartment and eat since I skipped lunch. My stomach chose that moment to protest loudly.

 _/Jeezus I am starving! I shouldn't have skipped lunch.../_ I thought to myself as I waited.

Looking down at my watch, I realized that I hadn't heard from Heero since this morning, I wonder how his day went.

****You: Hey, how're things going on your end?** **

*****Receiver typing...** **

****Heero: Probably about as good as it did on yours.** **

I worried about his response. I'd hoped he had time to take it easy with how his leg was protesting this morning.

****You: What's up? Something happen?** **

*****Receiver typing...** **

*****Receiver typing...** **

****Heero: Nothing life-threatening.** **

****You: That could mean anything when it involves you. What went down? I thought you were just going to do some mundane stuff today.** **

*****Receiver typing...** **

*****Receiver typing...** **

****Heero: Relena contacted me today, wanted to meet up for lunch.** **

I rolled my eyes at that. From what he told me about her attitude I doubt that was a pleasant get together. I sighed and typed my response.

****You: Do you want to talk about it?** **

****Heero: Not particularly...it's not something I want to rehash...** **

****You: That bad huh...** **

****Heero: That's putting it lightly. How was the licensing?** **

****You: It was fucking ridiculous. It took me three hours to get it all done just to be told it would be processed on Monday...fucking useless staff. I had a few words with them but it didn't change the outcome.** **

****Heero: Yeah, the system is still pretty new and they like to change policies a lot. Did you manage to get everything else handled?** **

I smiled and looked up at the sign, the train was arriving so I stood up and stretched before walking to the side of the platform to wait for it to arrive.

****You: Yeah, I'm on my way back now, the train has just arrived, sorry if I held you up.** **

*****Receiver typing...** **

****Heero: It's no problem, you aren't too late. Dinner should be ready by the time you get here. I'll see you then.** **

The train arrived right after he finished his text. _/Perfect timing, the only thing that has gone right today./_ I thought as I boarded the train and sat down for the ride.

* * *

I got to the apartment building right at 6:15. Running up to the door I realized I didn't have the code to get in. I looked around for a way to buzz up and, thankfully there was a screen that allowed me to type in his apartment number.

"Yuy," I heard him respond through the intercom.

"Hey, It's me. Can you buzz me up? I don't know the door code." I heard him laugh softly before the door unlocked, allowing me entrance. I walked over to the elevator and fidgeted as I waited, I was never a patient person so I've been told. The elevator finally made it to the ground floor and I road it up to the 4th floor. I took a moment to appreciate the building, I didn't bother to look at it when Heero brought me in last evening. The colors were pleasant and it was very tidy. I walked down the hall and opened his apartment door to find him dishing something that smelled delicious up on two plates.

"That smells great 'Ro..." He looked up and smirked as I took off my shoes and approached the island. He set the plate down in front of me and I swear I started drooling. He picked up his plate and took a seat across from me on the other side of the island with an unobtrusive wince. If I wasn't looking at his face I wouldn't have noticed it.

I took a bite out of my food and nodded in his direction, "Your leg still bothering you?"

I don't think he thought I noticed, he had a look of surprise on his face as he answered, "Yeah...I'm hoping a swim will help."

"Is it normal to be bothering you for as long as it has," I questioned.

He sighed and took a bite from his food, "It's not uncommon...I might have pushed it a little too far yesterday..."

I didn't know what to say to that. He seemed to be still touchy about people worrying over his state. The few times that I tried to inquire he pushed it off and didn't want to discuss it. I looked down at my food and took another bite, we sat in silence for a few minutes as we ate. I took the time to think of a way to approach the subject without him taking it the wrong way.

"How's your back doing? You told me yesterday that it sometimes flares up with your leg. That been bothering you?" I asked

He rested his elbow on the table and rested his hand in his hair and continued to eat without giving me an answer. I sighed, set my fork down, and leaned back on the stool. "Look, I get that you don't want to be babied but if it's starting to spread to your back maybe you should consider going in to get it looked at."

He sighed and set his fork down, "It's not too severe...I know the feeling when it gets to that point."

"Meaning you've pushed to that point before," I sighed and shook my head. I reached down and continued to eat. Seems like he is still as stubborn as ever.

After a few minutes, he responded, "Look...I appreciate your concern Duo, honestly. I'm just not used to it outside of Wufei and..." He didn't finish his sentence which immediately piqued my interest.

Before I could say anything his com beeped and he connected the call, _/Saved by the bell Yuy.../_

He held up a hand asking for silence and answered, "Yuy...Chang?" He was silent as he listened to the response.

From the way his face was screwed up I doubted that it was a personal call. I picked up my empty plate and took it to the sink before going out on the balcony to give him some privacy.

* * *

The artificial sunlight had started to fade, making the pool and the gym sparkle with gold color. Resting my elbows on the banister, I pulled my cigarettes out of my back pocket and rested one between my lips. Tucking the pack away, I lit the cigarette and inhaled slowly. I know what your thinking, smoking is bad Maxwell, you shouldn't do it, right? Yeah, I am well aware of it not being healthy but after everything that happened with Hilde, I couldn't bring myself to quit.

I let out the smoke and watched it dance in the air, making odd shapes before dissipating. I could hear his baritone voice filtering through the glass door, it was smooth monotone, completely business. I couldn't make out what was being said but I figured it wasn't my business anyway.

Taking another drag I stared down at the crystal water of the pool in the distance. I hoped that whatever was going on it didn't change the plans for the night. I don't know if I could handle seeing Wufei right now if he chose to 'swing by' like he was known to do in the past. He had always had the worse timing when it came to his 'visits'.

I chuckled in the memory of the time he came over while he was on L2 for business. He got more of an eye full than he was expecting. Without a warning, he had come over and didn't bother to call ahead. His face was so beat red when he walked into the office at the yard and caught me and Hilde in a rather...compromising situation. Since then he always made it a point to call ahead or at least knock. I shook my head and watched as the red cherry on my cigarette flickered, a small trail of smoke coming from its end. That happened a few months after I and Hilde decided to be a 'thing'. Had it really been that long since he last spoke with him? I shook my head and sighed.

Heero's voice had fallen silent and I heard the glass doors slide open as he joined me on the balcony. He leaned both his arms on the banister and rested his chin in his hand as he stared out at the view. We stood there in silence as I finished my cigarette and put it out on the soul of my shoe.

I took a moment to appreciate the light shining in his hair, almost giving him a soft glow as his cobalt eyes reflected the lights of the town in them. He was a handsome guy...and off-limits. I trailed my eyes down the side of his neck and stared at the tattoo peeking out of the collar of his button-up. I was still curious as to what it was and why he got it. During the war he made it very clear he didn't like needles, I wondered what changed for him to willingly have it done.

"Sorry about that...Something happened that he felt I needed to know," He explained.

I tucked the bud into my pocket and leaned my back against the banister, and slid my hands into my back pockets, "Want to talk about it? Whatever it was seemed to shake you a bit, you didn't look pleased."

He had a look on his face that told me he was debating, his forehead was slightly creased and his eyebrows were drawn together in thought, "Our informant missed the check-in time, It's not something this specific informant made a habit of, he was always on time with his check-ins."

"Do you think something has happened? How deep was he in.." I inquired

"...I can't tell you much because it's confidential information. Most I can tell you was that he was in pretty deep. Genesis has layers to it. From what we have found out so far, you can get the stuff done from at least a hand full of people if the augmentation is simple. They also have runners that collect the money and the like. The more serious augmentations require a meeting with a lead in the operation that specializes in the specific augmentations that are requested. So far we have narrowed it down to three, possibly four leaders that are considered specialists in their field." He explained.

I nodded and looked up at the sky. I could see the stars starting to form as the light dimmed, "Sounds like a minefield..."

"It can be..." Came his simple answer.

"I didn't pay much attention to what was going on down here, the most I know that was going on was prosthetics and splicing. Is there more to the group?" I asked.

He gave a slight nod, "They started with prosthetics and augmentations like chips and bionics. Recently they have expanded into experimental drugs that temporarily enhance mental and physical aspects such as strength, speed, and the like. They also have been expanding to include illegal gene splicing. From what we understand the physical and mental enhancements are only temporary, they eventually wear off and it requires regular doses administered every few weeks to keep it. You could understand why that would get addictive." He looked over at me and stood up rubbing at his back before continuing.

"As for the Gene Splicing...depending on the extent it can lead to major health issues or physical changes. These can range from permanent to temporary, allowing the clients to splice multiple times. The problem with the multiple splicings that are temporary is that the DNA composition breaks down over time. Organs start to fail and, if not addressed, could lead to death due to the damage going beyond repair." He finished.

I turned, rested my elbow on the banister, and rested my chin in my hand, "Who would want to do that to themselves..." I shook my head, "All to just look different and make a statement? It sounds ridiculous. That being said, I could understand the addictive aspect of it..." He looked at me with confusion

I sighed and shut my eyes for a minute before looking out at the pool, "Let's just say I had my share of drugs before I went space-side...shit's hard to kick... feeling it gives you is euphoric depending on what you take."

"Duo..." I held up my hand to interrupt.

"Leave it 'Ro...Not something many know about and I'm not proud of it." He stared at me for a minute before nodding, letting the comment slide.

"So, how widespread is this movement?" I inquired.

He turned to lean on the banister and crossed his arms, "It originated Earth-side but has spread to the colonies since then. Cases are popping everywhere; here, Earth, L3... We don't know for sure how far they have spread, all we know is it needs to be put down. More cases are popping up that end in deaths due to the new experimental splicing, or insanity. The brain deteriorates, leading them to be more animal than human in permanent cases."

"That's nuts...Has anybody come out okay or does it always end in loss of humanity..." I couldn't believe anybody would want to do that to themselves knowing the risks.

"There are a few that came out okay...how, we aren't sure. Our scientists have been working on a component to reverse the effects but its slow and still experimental. They seemed to find a way to reverse the physical changes that a splicing causes but if the mind has already

deteriorated...they don't come out the same as they went in. Most end up in asylums and live trapped in their minds or as vegetables..." he explained.

"The ones that do come out okay are usually forced to take the component and serve time or stay within preventer employ as an informant to shorten their sentences or completely wipe them off their record after they served out their time." He ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh.

He looked stressed and I could see why. This movement is huge and it almost seems impossible to stop. Even if they manage to stop Genesis I am sure there will be others out there that will continue with the work Genesis started...It's like a pandemic, once it's been introduced to the general society there is no guarantee that it will be eradicated, remnants will always be there. He was up against a losing battle and had no choice but to keep going and save as many as possible.

"That's tough 'Ro...Are you sure it's only three or four running the operations? It seems too big to be run by so few..." I inquired.

"That's what we are worried about...We can only speak for the three or four we suspect that are in charge here on L1, there is a possibility there is more and that the number we suspect may not even be the only ones or top of the chain..." He rubbed at his temples, I could imagine he has a headache starting over all of this.

"So this informant..." He held his hand up to stop my questioning.

"You know I can't discuss that...It's confidential." I let out a puff of air in defeat and we fell into a comfortable silence, staring out at the sky as the lights dimmed and the stars became visible.

He pushed off the banister and motioned his head to the glass door. "Come on, I was able to keep Chang from stopping by to discuss it further until Monday. Let's go swimming, I could use it after everything that has gone on today."

I smiled and followed him through the door, "You're tellin' me!"

* * *

We made quick work of getting ready to go. I went into the room and noticed my clothes had been washed, I would have to thank him later. As I searched through my things I realized I didn't have trunks. With a sigh, I went to his door and knocked.

"Yeah?" His muffled voice came from the other side of his bedroom door.

"Mind if I come in?" after a short pause the door handle raddled and opened. His back was facing the door as he walked away to grab his towel on the bed. As he bent over, I noticed a patch on his lower back that looked like silicone skin. It was at least two inches in diameter and circular, _/What the heck?/_ I wondered. He never mentioned anything about his back needing something like that.

My curiosity got the better of me at that moment. Without thinking, I walked over and touched the patch on his back. His hand shot out fast and took up my wrist in a grinding hold, preventing my fingers from making contact. The look on his face shown Panic and Shock. I stared at him for a minute before his hand relaxed around my wrist, letting my arm drop.

"...' Ro?"

He continued to get his things and put on a t-shirt. He stood there for a minute before turning to look at me. "What's that, on your back?" I asked quietly.

He tensed at the questioned and his mouth set in a stern line, "It's nothing to concern yourself with, what do you need?"

I rubbed at my sore wrist before stepping back slightly, "I came in to ask about a pair of trunks, I didn't bring any with me, I wasn't planning to be here long enough to swim." I decided to let the subject drop, it seemed to be a sore topic and I didn't want to make his day worse than it already had been.

He relaxed marginally before walking over to his drawers and pulled out a spare pair of trunks, "they have a drawstring, they may be a little loose on you."

I gave him one of my smiles and winked, "Thanks bud, didn't think they would appreciate me swimming in the nude."

A small smile appeared on his face before he shook his head and made his way out of the room, "Just go put them on baka and be quick about it or we won't get much time to swim. The pool closes at 10 and it's already 8:30,"

"No problem! Be out in a minute, "I ran back my room to quickly change and met him in the living room. "Ready when you are."

He nodded and headed out the door. I followed behind him, admiring the view of his nice backside clad in the slightly snug trunks. I shook my head and fell into step beside him as we waited for the elevator.

_/Get your mind out of the gutter Maxwell...He doesn't swing your direction, you're fooling yourself.../_

I put the thought out of my mind as we boarded the elevator and made our way down to the pool.

* * *

**A/N:** Another chapter is done! I want to apologize for the lack of posting on my other story, "The Entertainer". I lost where I was going with that one hence the title change, it's taking me a bit to figure it out. Until then I hope that this story holds your interest. Comments and Critiques welcome and wanted! Until next time :)


	8. The Space Between Us

****A/N:**** Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

****Summary:**** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new group has made an appearance. The movement is called the "Genesis" movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the " _Genesis"_ movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 8**

  
  


**Heero's POV**

I watched as Duo made laps in the pool, my head resting on the side of the hot tub. I couldn't help but notice how graceful he was, slicing through the water like he was born to it. He barely made a ripple in the water as he went back and forth, coming up occasionally for a breath of air. It still amazed me that he was even here. With the way we separated, I wasn't sure he would be coming back and if he would even bother to contact anybody if he had.

Duo came up to the edge of the pool that was facing me and smiled, no words were spoken. We simply enjoyed the quiet since there was nobody at the pool during this hour. I took a moment to appreciate the stage he set. The water in his hair shown with artificial night lighting, illuminating him in a way that is hard to explain. He almost looked ethereal as the shadows on the water's surface played over his face and his dark, violet eyes. He seemed relaxed and enjoying himself despite the stress-filled day he had.

I made my way to the opposite side of the hot tub so that I could lean against its edge while watching him. I took the time to reflect on all those times that I tried to reach out, before he took off, and how Hilde always seemed to make excuses that prevented him from taking the calls. Hilde was never really a fan of how close I and Duo had become during the war, even though it was platonic and I had no clue what I wanted at the time. She was always short, almost annoyed when she spoke with me specifically. It was like she saw me as a threat to her life with Duo; like I would try and take him away and ruin her plans for their business endeavors.

He crossed his arms on the side of the pool and rested his head on them, “Penny for your thoughts?”

I shrugged and laid my head back and stared up at the starry sky. He chuckled at my lack of response. “You had a pretty serious look on your face, doubt there isn't anything going on up there.” I heard the water slosh as he pointed at his temple.

“It's nothing, don't worry about it...” I responded. I heard him sigh softly at my response.

“I'm curious...”

I snorted, “When are you not Maxwell.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw him put his hand to his chest and feign hurt before smiling and levering himself out of the pool. He came over and crouched beside me looking down at me from above. His stance was relaxed as he spoke.

“Can I ask you a question?” I stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.

He sat down and propped his arm on his upturned knee, staring up at the stars. “Something you said earlier...”

I shut my eyes and listened to his voice as he continued, “Earlier you said that most don't show concern in regards to your situation...Did the others not come to help out?”

That was unexpected, “Yeah, when they could...It was mainly Wufei and Relena though. Quatre was busy with the company and Triton was busy watching his back. It's not that they didn't care, they just didn't have the means to be here as often as Wufei was.”

He snorted in disbelief, “Triton...Quatre informed me that he had his name changed. Probably a way to keep the past in the past, not to mention 'Trowa' wasn't his actual name, to begin with, just what he went by.”

I nodded, “It suits him...”

“Was Wufei there at least?” He inquired.

“I'm not sure...The first few weeks were hazy, since I was in and out and medicated.” I drew my eyebrows together in thought, eyes still closed, “I know he was there when I first came out of the coma...He had to anchor me.”

I felt his fingers lightly skim over my forehead, tracing the creases there, “You shouldn't think so hard...you'll get wrinkles.”

I chuckled at his attempt at humor, “Really though...He took me to my physical therapy sessions and he was present every time they were affixing a different prosthetic, but he had a job as well and his workload doubled while I was out of action.”

“And Quatre? Where was he during all this,” He sounded a bit irritated.

“He and Triton were busy on L3, they stopped by after the first month to see how I was but mainly just kept in touch by phone or video call.”

He snorted and I felt his hand grace the top of the water, causing ripples by my left arm, “He's become a real peach huh...”

I sighed and looked over at him, “He has a lot on his plate Duo, it's hard for him to get away for personal visits...What exactly happened between you two anyway.”

His mouth set in a stern line, he didn't seem willing to offer up the information.

“If you're going to request I not tell the others that you are here, I would like to know why you're trying to avoid them Duo...”

He sighed and let his head fall, his hair obscured his face, “He is one of the few that knew how far I fell after Hilde...”

“The drugs?” I questioned.

He nodded and pushed his hair behind his ear, “I just wanted to forget everything that happened. That business was my life, I didn't have anything after she took that..it was what drove me to go to college. After she ended it and asked me to sign over the business I helped her build from the ground up, I was at a loss.”

I didn't know how to comfort him, I may be better than I used to be with interaction, but there didn't seem to be anything I could do. I regretted even bringing it up.

“I had asked him for money on several occasions to support the habit. He wasn't aware of what I used the money for and when he asked I would avoid answering. Howard found me in that sorry state at the bar, I was high as a kite and drunk as a skunk. Quatre's number was the last one on my phone so Howard called him to chew him out for not helping me. When Quatre found out about my state he and I exchanged words...some were pretty low-blows.” He explained in a quiet, monotone voice.

“And what about Trowa?” I had leaned forward and rested my hand on his ankle while he spoke.

“Trowa was livid. I wasn't surprised with his reaction given his past, being raised by Mercer's...” He sighed and looked over at me.

Trowa was well educated in drugs and what they could do to someone, it wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Sometimes I forget that he and Duo had similar backgrounds. Both being orphans of war and had to do whatever it took to get by before they took part in the fight.

“Quatre demanded that I get my shit together and Trowa threatened bodily harm for even thinking that drugs and alcohol were an acceptable solution. When I refused to let him put me in a facility he pretty much stopped contacting me. On the rare occasions that he and Trowa did it was just to make sure I wasn't in a bar somewhere or dead.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Through the war, Quatre was nothing but helpful and caring. With his empathy he was able to help the rest of us out of some tough situations, hearing that he just abandoned Duo was hard to even imagine.

“And Wufei?” I quietly asked.

He sighed and leaned back on his hands, “He and I have never really seen eye-to-eye 'Ro, you know that.”

He was right, he and Wufei were opposite when it came to personality and behavior. Where Wufei was honor-bound and big on justice, Duo shot from the hip and made rash decisions.

“Before I and Hilds had split he had offered a spot at Preventers in the mechanic's division several times but I shot it down, Hilde wasn't very fond of his persistence either. After I ghosted he tried to reach out a couple of times to see how things were going but I avoided talking about anything personal. His calls became less frequent after that, I guess he figured it was a losing battle. He wasn't aware of the shit I got myself into and it was never mentioned...I would like to keep it that way.” He gave me a sideways glance as if warning me to keep my mouth shut.

“I'm not sure where he and I stand now. He was pretty pissed when he and you were able to track me down to Howard's Spaceport. Conversations were always stuffy and non-personal with him. I wasn't expecting anything else considering we were never really close.”

Now that I thought about it, he was right. Wufei didn't seem to talk about his conversations with Duo. I figured it was because he was just as sparse at contacting him like the rest of us.

He shook his head, pulled his leg away from my hand to cross them, and looked down at me with a smirk, “What about you? Here I am telling you everything about how my life has been shitty, It's only fair that I get to ask some stuff.”

“You know most of it.” I leaned back into my original seated position against the side of the hot tub.

“You said that Wufei still bothered you over the leg, but never finished the sentence.”

I had hoped he forgot about that, “It's the normal expected people Duo. Wufei being the main one, Relena being another.”

He playfully poked my shoulder with a mischievous look in his eye, “I know there are others that you aren't mentioning, I highly doubt that your better half wouldn't be on that list.”

I leaned my head back and waved my hand nonchalantly, “I'm sure they would too if there was one.” I didn't want to think about Mikhail at that moment. The subject was a tender one but I didn't expect him to know that.

The look of astonishment crossed his face at my comment, “Come on 'Ro, you can't expect me to believe its only been Relena.”

“There have been others but I don't wish to speak about it. To answer your question, yes they usually were just as relentless as Wufei and Relena, it gets tiring after a while.” Why was he so interested anyway? He never really spoke of his past and avoided any conversation that involved Hilde.

“How about you, I can't believe that you would be single after Hilde. You probably had all the girls falling over you. I bet you cause Howard a lot of trouble.” Anybody with eyes could see that he was handsome, there is no way he has been single all this time.

He shrugged and got a goofy smile on his face, “You know me, they could never resist all this.” He motioned to himself.

“So that's a yes?” I was honestly interested to hear about how his life had been. All I've heard so far was morbid, there had to be some happiness in there despite his slip.

He shrugged and ran his hand through his wet hair, “Yeah, there had been others but nothing serious. Being mainly Space-side my options were pretty slim. I wasn't land-side long enough to make any connections. What I did do with others before I went space-side was out of....desperation.” His playful smile fell, “Look, I'm not proud of what I did to get my fix, but money was tight and it seemed easier to just give my dealer a little somethin' than try and scrounge up the money once Quatre found out.”

“Jeezus, Duo...” My voice was barely a whisper.

How desperate does one have to be to go that far? I shook my head in disbelief and let the subject drop. He sat there staring up at the stars, leaning back on his hands, lost in thought as the silence dragged on. He spoke about it like it was no big deal to just pawn his body off. I couldn't even talk about sex the way he just did.

“It was a long time ago Heero...like I said I'm not proud of it.”

“But to go that far?” He got a hurt look in his eyes, I realized how my comment could sound like I was judging him.

“I'm not judging you Duo...It's just hard to believe you would let yourself fall that far. You could have contacted me or even Wufei, we would have helped you.”

“I didn't want _you_ , and definitely didn't want _him_ , to know how screwed-up I was. I know it sounds irrational but I don't think I could have handled it if you would have come at me as Quatre did,” he responded in a defensive tone.

“I couldn't live with you, my best friend, looking at me like I was some...degenerate. Quatre was already disgusted with me and Trowa wanted to kick my ass. I wouldn't have been able to handle disappointing anyone else. I had nowhere to go, nobody to turn to...so I left. I changed my number and distanced myself from you and the others. You guys seemed well off and I didn't want to put a wrench in anybody's well-laid-out plans.” He fell silent after that, his arms had fallen between his raised knees and his head was hung in defeat.

There was nothing I could say that would turn this conversation around. I wasn't expecting it to go as deep as it did and I certainly didn't mean to bring up bad memories.

“I'm sorry Duo...But you're doing better now, right? You'd mentioned you kicked the drugs and turned yourself around and tried to make the best of your situation. I just wish you would have said something to me at least.”

He sighed and marginally nodded his head, “I think I've had enough water for the night...” He stood up slowly, grabbed his towel, and proceeded to dry himself off.

With nothing else to say and no way to deactivate the mines I just set off in his head I just nodded. I pulled myself out of the hot tub, grabbed my towel, and wrapped it around my waist. After I was able to dry off we headed back to the apartment for the night.

* * *

The walk back to the apartment was done in silence. Once we got inside, Duo excused himself to take a shower and turn in for the night. I stood there, watching his bare, broad back as he disappeared into the bathroom. With a sigh, I headed to my room to change out of my wet trunks and t-shirt.

Why is it he always seemed to get the shitty end of the stick? He went through the war afraid to get too close to others due to the carnage and death that seemed to follow him. None of us expected to live to see peace but if anybody deserved a better chance at life it was Duo. After growing up on the streets, losing everyone he called family, watching his friends die from the plague...How much can one person take before breaking? Then the situation with Hilde and the Yard...

I shook my head and changed into some sweats and a green tank top then headed out to do the dishes. I heard the water running as I walked down the hall to the kitchen. He probably needed some space after the things we have been discussing lately. As I finished with the dishes I heard the water shut off and the door open shortly thereafter. Believing that he would talk when he was ready I proceeded to make myself a cup of tea.

While I waited for the water to boil I reached over and grabbed the book I was currently reading off the island. Not feeling tired I decided I would sit and enjoy my tea and do some light reading. Once my water was done I poured it into a cup, pulled down a tea bag, and let it steep as I carried it over to the couch. I took my prosthetic off and made myself comfortable as I settled down to read for a while.

I saw Duo enter the living room out of the corner of my eye, he was wearing his sweats from earlier that day and was sticking hair sticks into his hair. I tried to focus on my book but the view that he presented was hard to ignore. I hadn't noticed earlier how well-toned his arms were; how his broad shoulders almost made a v-shape down his broad chest to his narrow hips. The muscles worked in his arms as he finished putting his hair back and made his way over to the patio doors.

_/What are you doing Yuy! You just drudged up every bad memory the man had and your thinking about how well put-together his body is? This is Duo we are talking about, your best friend! You shouldn't even be looking in his direction you baka!/_

I shook away the lustful thoughts and stared at his back while he smoked, the book was completely forgotten in my lap. Despite disappearing I still considered him my best friend and I didn't want to screw that up, given my track record with relationships. I would probably mess something up and lose him for good. Not to mention he was only here because of a job and we just happened to cross paths in the process, he would have to go back eventually. How would that even work out? He just recently failed at trying to do a long-distance relationship and it was short-lived, it was pointless to even entertain the thought or try, given what consequences could come of it.

As he made his way in I noticed that he had earbuds in and a little palm-sized player was clipped to the top of his sweats. Breaking out of my thoughts I picked the book back up and brought it back up before he looked up. His slim fingers reached up and removed a bud from his ear, he attempted a small smile on his sullen face before resting his hand on the back of the couch by my shoulder.

“Think I'm gonna call it a night, been a long day...Want me to grab anything before I turn in?”

I shook my head and flipped a page, “No, thanks though...”

He just nodded and made his way to the spare room and softly shut the door. I let out the breath I was holding, set my book down in my lap, and ran my hand through my hair. I had really made a mess of things, we were doing good up until that last conversation.

My hand got caught in the half ponytail I had and felt grimy from the chlorine and I knew that if I left it be it would be a mess in the morning. Setting the book on the Coffee table, I took a sip from my cooling tea and made my way back to the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

**Duo's POV**

**-Dream sequence-**

_Blood...I could smell it, taste it..._

_Screams from children, men, and women echoed through the dark, empty, space. I crouched down and covered my ears to try and dull the screams, to block them out._

_I felt the blood soaking through my pants, running down my wrists and the screams wouldn't stop!_

_Pain...so much pain and suffering wracked my senses..._

_So much blood...I brought my hands down and stared at them. Deep crimson-stained skin greeted my eyes._

_Piercing pricks tracked up my arms, causing small rivulets of blood to flow down my pale arms..._

_NO! I looked around the blackness, trying to find something, anything to help me...nobody...they were gone all of them were gone._

_Blood colored silhouettes started to appear on black ground...no color besides red covered the floor as it slowly flowed my way, threatening to pull me in with the bodies that scattered the black floor._

_Shoes came into my line of sight, I didn't dare look up..._

_My body began to shake as small cuts appeared on my wrists, my blood adding to the puddle that had grown under my knees..._

_An aerie voice penetrated the screams that never seemed to end, a woman's voice that I could never forget._

“ _How could you Duo? How could you do this to them...to yourself...”_

_I closed my eyes tight and brought my blood-covered hands to my ears in a failed attempt to block out her voice._

“ _STOP!” I yelled but my voice fell on deaf ears, nobody would come to end their suffering...end my suffering..._

“ _You did this to them...to yourself, you have nobody to blame...I'm disappointed in you...How could you!”_

_A hand fell on my shoulder with so much pressure I felt it give under the force. I looked up fast with wide eyes to see her._

_She stood there in a nun's garb, her white hood stained in blood that flowed from her throat...She had a look of disgust in her dead glossy eyes. She stared into me...seeing everything and nothing, piercing my very soul. Blood blossomed on the dark black fabric above her heart and flowed freely down the lower parts of her legs._

_Her voice came out a disgusted yell of disapproval and pain, “HOW COULD YOU!”_

_There was so much pain in her voice, so much anger toward me._

“ _I COULDN'T TAKE IT! ...SO MUCH PAIN, I NEEDED IT TO STOP! I JUST WANTED IT TO STOP!!” I yelled back, my voice cracking with the strain._

_Bloodied hands came up from the puddle under my knees, grabbing me pinning me in place. The blood runs freely from the cuts and puncture wounds down my arms and thighs. The grip of the hands tightened, leaving bloody hand-prints on my jeans pulling me down to drown._

“ _I JUST WANTED IT ALL TO STOP!” My voice was desperate, asking her for forgiveness...begging her to understand._

_Her eyes held pity and sorrow in there cold depths, “I can't help you now...nobody can...”_

“ _NO!!”_

**-End of Dream Sequence-**

My eyes flew open and I gasped for air, gulping it down like I couldn't get enough of it. I looked around the room, still not fully aware, nothing looked familiar. My heart was pounding so hard that it was painful; like it was trying to escape from my rib cage. My music had turned off at some point and silence greeted me, just darkness and pure silence.

My hair was soaked with sweat and plastered to my face and neck, it had come out of the hair tie that I put in before I went to sleep. I threw a shaky arm over my sweat-covered face, gasping at the air as I tried to calm myself down. The sheets were partially off the bed and wrapped around my legs in disarray from what I could feel and every muscle in my body ached from being strung so tight. My throat felt like I had been screaming for hours and my brain was loaded with cotton as I tried to shake the hold the nightmare had on my senses.

It had been a while since I had one that bad, I couldn't recall when the last time was that I had one that shook me like that. I tried to swallow but my mouth was dry of all liquid, my tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of my mouth. With one long inhale of breath, I let it out slowly and rubbed my gritty eyes against the clammy skin of my arm. Once I felt like I had my heart back to normal and I was no longer hyperventilating, I removed the arm from my eyes and took a moment to get my bearings.

That's right, I was on L1, at Heero's in his spare room. Shadowy shapes of the dresser and side tables started to form as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. From what I could tell the lights had been turned off, there was no faint glow from underneath the door that would hint otherwise. Looking over to the side table I looked at the time, 3:00 am glared back at me in bright blue against its black backdrop. I felt exhausted, I had managed to drift off around mid-night that I could recall and I doubted I got any restful sleep in that time.

I sat up shakily and rested my bare feet on the cool wood floor. Running my shaky hand down my face I knew there was no way I would be able to fall back asleep after that, I absently scratched at my arms, I could still feel the burn of needles resonating through my body along with the ache of cuts. When I looked down I could make out raw red lines from my wrists up to the crook of my elbows. I must have been tearing into them pretty badly while I slept. Thank god I didn't scream this time, I would have been embarrassed if Heero happened to see me like this. It took a lot of effort to get myself to stop scratching at my arms as the shakes slowly left my body.

With a shiver, I stood up slowly and made my way to the door. I needed a drink but I doubted Heero had any of the stuff my body was craving laying around. From the way he made it seem he had also had a drinking problem at some point and it would be asking for trouble to keep some on hand.

I quietly made my way into the moonlit kitchen and scrounged through his cabinets quietly as possible to find a glass. I was able to find one in the cabinet above the sink and filled it with much-needed water. I took a long swallow, the cool water didn't dull the craving but it was a great relief to my sandpaper tongue and throat. I drained the rest of the glass before filling it again and leaning against the counter by the sink.

I should have expected this to happen, the stuff we talked about earlier was bound to trigger a bad reaction. My hands were still slightly shaking as I sipped at the water and stared across the room out the glass doors as the nightmare slowly faded from my mind taking the aches with it. I wasn't sure how long I stood there just staring, mind numb, no thoughts playing through my mind as I sipped at my water.

There was no way I was going to get back to sleep without help and I wasn't about to crawl into Heero's bed to find solace. There were times during the war that we used to sleep in each other's arms if only to fool ourselves into thinking we were safe because the other was watching the others back. Things seemed simpler during those times, nobody questioned why we sought each other out when the nightmares came to roost. Sometimes we would just talk to one another about mundane things, falling asleep to the other's droning voice. Sometimes the feeling of security that the other provided was enough and, after a time, we would go back to our assigned rooms. It's been 7 years since we were kids, I doubted the same actions would be welcomed or work now.

I set my empty glass in the sink and made my way out to the porch. I could feel the effects of lack of sleep taking its toll on me, my limbs felt heavy and my legs were unsteady and felt like they could give under my weight but I was determined to get a smoke in to calm my rattled nerves; I was too keyed up.

I stepped out into the cool air and took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out. As much as I liked the solace of space, getting the chance to breathe non-recycled air was welcomed. Hell, being able to step outside and not worry about dying was a relief. You would think with my anxiety and all my issues that I wouldn't be able to handle the isolation of space.

I grabbed my pack of Sonic's off the small glass table and sat down in the plastic lounge chair, staring up at the sky as I lit my cigarette and took a much needed inhale. I closed my eyes and let it out slowly. It wasn't a beer but it was better than nothing. I listened to the nightlife of the town, unable to hear anything else over the cars. Heero's apartment could be considered in the 'hub' of the colony. It wasn't the night district by any means but there were bars and diners of the like that were open for patrons looking for a place to eat after a good night. I sat there, absently taking drags from my cigarette as I appreciated the sounds of life...of peace.

Once I finished off the last drag I put the but out on the metal banister and set it on the table to collect later. I opened the door quietly, thanking whatever maintenance man that kept it rolling smooth, and shut it with a quiet 'ssk' behind me before quietly making my way back to my temporary room. Heero's door was slightly ajar giving me a view of his shadowed face and the chair next to the head of the bed. The moonlight from his window glinted off its surface, lighting up the prosthetic that laid in it. I stood there for a minute and just watched his face, he looked at peace despite the card life had dealt him. Taking one more short glance I slowly entered my room and shut the door and hunted around in the dark for my bag.

Rooting around, I was able to pull out the bottle of sleeping pills from the small inner pocket and I was relieved. I couldn't remember if I managed to grab them before taking off from the port, good thing I did or I would have been fucked on sleep for the night. I shook the bottle slightly, there were only a few left, I would need to get a refill soon. Taking one out, I popped it into my mouth and swallowed the small red pill dry, I didn't want to chance waking Heero up just for water. I replaced the bottle in my bag and stretched, hearing my joins pop, before laying back down. I replaced the buds in my ears and started my music back up, picking a larger file this time. I didn't want to chance it turning off again while I slept, not that anything would happen once the sleeping pills took hold. With a sigh I turned on my side, my back facing the closed door, closed my grainy eyes, and waited as the pills lulled me into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Another chapter finished! I want to apologize for the title wave I put Duo through in this chapter. I honestly didn't intend it to go this way but once I started it just formed into its own beast, I couldn't stop the words from forming. Tell me what you think, until next time! :)


	9. The Space Between Us

****A/N:**** Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

****Summary:**** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new group has made an appearance. The movement is called the "Genesis" movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the " _Genesis"_ movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

  
  


**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 9**

  
  


**Heero's POV**

Sunday was spent lounging around the apartment and talking about lighter topics. After the night before I made it a point to give him a break from the heavy questions, in return he backed off about my physical situation. We spoke about our favorite foods, music, and passed times. Jynx finally came out of hiding, after almost being stepped on Friday night. She had become a constant fixture to Duo's lap anytime we were lounging on the patio or the couch. We finally got to take that run and put in some time at the gym before hitting up the pool again. That evening we found an old comedy action film to watch and had pizza for dinner. I turned in early due to having to work the next day but I think he stayed up a while after me before he decided to turn in.

When I emerged from the bathroom Monday morning his door was still closed and the house was still silent. Jynx was sat at attention, flicking her tail, outside of Duo's door. I rubbed the towel through my hair and shook my head as I watched her. Deciding to take pity, I gently opened Duo's door just wide enough to let her into his room before shutting the door again after she entered. I chuckled to myself at her antics, spoiled cat.

I laid the towel around my shoulders as I pulled down the makings for my tea and his coffee. It took me a while to locate the Keurig, I didn't use it very often; usually only during the rare times that Trowa and Quatre decided to visit. Once located I set it on the counter and plugged it in. The nice thing about this maker was that it was compacted and only made one cup and only took minutes to brew. I set his Coffee by the maker and proceeded to make my Tea.

Looking at the digital clock, I realized I had a good hour before I had to get going. I'd hoped Duo would be up before I left, I wanted to leave the door code and my spare key with him. Up until this morning, he and I were always together so he did not need it.

I went through my normal routine with some protest from my back and leg, The pain hadn't gotten worse but it was not staving off either, at least not without the help of pills. I set the skillet down and pulled out the eggs before making my way to the bathroom to get my pain killers. I had hoped after resting yesterday, that I wouldn't need them but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. I put the small bottle in the breast pocket of my unbuttoned Preventers shirt, set the towel back on the rack, a pulled my sides back in a messy ponytail to keep it out of my face before returning to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Duo emerged just as I was dishing up the omelet I had made for myself. As he made his way into the kitchen he stretched and rubbed his hand through his messy hair. His eyes were not even fully open as he sat down at the island and laid his head down on his crossed arms.

I silently laughed at his half-awake state and set my omelet down, leaned forward, rested one elbow on the counter, and rested my head in my upturned hand. Before I could stop it, my free hand reached out and brushed his silky chestnut hair behind his ear to reveal his sleepy violet eyes. Surprised by my own actions I pulled my hand back in a fast motion and turned my back to him, pretending to busy myself with cleaning up my mess. I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks in embarrassment.

“Coffee?” my voice was short and cracked slightly.

“Hn...”

I softly laughed, I've been doing that a lot lately...laughing

“Isn't that usually my line?”

“Hn...” I shook my head and let out another soft laugh.

Once his coffee was finished and my face had cooled down, I turned and laid the coffee cup by his arm, again pushing his hair behind his ear so his eyes could see the cup. I felt him inhale and let it out before slowly sitting up, wrapping his long slim fingers around the mug and brought it to his lips. I caught myself not being able to look away from him as he took his first sip, his lips red from the heat of the coffee. I shook my head and looked down at my folded hands as they rested on the island.

_/What is wrong with me...this can only lead to disaster.../_

“Mmmm.....you might have just saved my life 'Ro”

I grabbed my forgotten plate and pushed it in front of him, “I wasn't expecting you to wake up so soon, You can have this one if you don't mind bell peppers and cheese.”

He took another sip and set his cup back down by the plate, “Are you sure? I could always make my own, I hate ta' take your breakfast.”

I waved his concern off, “It's alright, I can make another one.”

He grabbed up the fork and took a bite, “Thanks, for the coffee too.”

As he busied himself with eating I turned to make another omelet for myself as we spoke.

“I'm glad you woke up when you did. I wanted to leave the spare with you and give you the codes for the door and Gym before I took off.” I put the egg mixture in the pan and watched is sizzle.

“ Cool, I'm not usually up this early but I wanted to check in with the licensing office before things get too crazy. Don't want a repeat of Saturday.”

I added the peppers and cheese and flipped half the egg over, “I don't blame you. I'm usually off by 5:00, I'll let you know if I'll be later.”

“Has Wufei said anything about your informant?” He inquired.

I put the omelet on another plate and turned around. I felt a shock run up my right side and my back twinge. I had to pause for a second and breathe through my nose, that was a pretty bad one. I slowly took a seat on the chair and took a bite before answering him.

“He left me an E-mail stating that there still has been no word from them. We will probably be spending most our day trying to pinpoint where he may have ended up.” When I looked up he was staring at me, the look of concern hidden behind his eyes. Great...he noticed.

“Heero...”

I cut him off, “Stop, It will be fine after I take my pills.”

He let out a sigh and pushed his empty plate aside and took another sip from his coffee. I finished my omelet in silence as he finished his coffee. Once we were done I picked up our cups and dishes and set them in the sink.

“It's concerning 'Ro. You said that it doesn't usually last long, its been since Friday.”

I sighed and leaned against the counter near the sink, “I know my limits Duo, I've been doing this on my own for years, just drop it.” I buttoned up my shirt and looked up at the clock, “Look, I Got to get going.”

I pulled my keys out of my pocket, removed the spare key, and laid it on the island then proceeded to grab a post-it note to write down the door codes before sliding both over to him. “Here's the spare, don't lose it I don't have any others, and here are the door codes. The first one is for the building and the second is for the Gym.”

He looked down at the key and the codes as he grabbed them from my hand, our fingers brushed slightly and I felt the hairs on my arm stand up at the touch. He took a minute to study the numbers, he didn't seem to notice my reaction, and then looked up at me; his violet eyes had a serious look in them.

“Just try to take it easy 'kay?”

I sighed and gave a defeated nod, “I doubt I will be pulled out of my office today. Wufei needs to fill me in on the situation, and then we need to try and track the informant down.” with that I slipped my shoes on, my back protesting, gave one more wave back at him and made my way out of the apartment.

* * *

**Preventer's Building**

Once I got to mine and Wufei's office I sat down and booted up my computer. I had arrived a few minutes early and figured he would be in at some point. Once my computer was up I put in my password and checked my e-mails. There were a few from Une and a few from Wufei that had files attached. Right as I clicked to open the first attachment Wufei came in and shut the door.

“Yuy” He greeted as he walked across the office and set a cup down near my right hand. I was greeted with the smell of chamomile and vanilla and smirked before taking a sip and greeting him.

“Has anything changed?” I asked as I viewed the file on my computer.

“No, I haven't gotten very far on it. Zayne was last spotted near the Ivory Moon Friday morning.” He explained.

“The Cafe? Isn't that near the shipping district?” I inquired as I looked through the information on my screen.

“Last time he checked in he stated Genesis had been having runners meet up clients there. He was sticking around the area to see what he could find out or overhear. It wasn't his assigned area though and he sounded nervous.”

“Has anybody seen him since then?” I pulled up the map for the cafe's area.

“If they had nobody's talking.” He took a sip of his coffee and opened up a file on his desk. “He said the area was assigned to a runner by the name of Yusra. I was able to run the name and came up with this.” He walked over and set the manila file down in front of me.

She looked to be about 17 with short pixie hair and startling crystal-blue eyes. The picture was taken about three months ago when she was brought in for a first offense splicing. Her body was covered with black stripes that could pass as henna tattoos on her face, arms, and neck. Her nails were slightly long and she sported small canines at the corners of her smirking red lips.

He continued, “She was brought in three months ago for a first offense splicing but I doubt that's the case. This is a small alteration and we were able to give her the component. Besides being a mouthy, stubborn, teenager she was mentally all there. She made it very clear that we couldn't stop her from 'expressing herself' and lawyered up. Since she is still considered a minor we couldn't touch her”

I didn't recognize her but her name sounded somewhat familiar, “Where was I when she was brought in, I wasn't informed.”

“Mitchell and Nelson brought her in,” He explained as he took another absent sip of his coffee.

“Who questioned her.” I inquired as I sipped at my tea.

“They processed her since it was a minor offense. Her lawyer had it expunged from her records due to it being her first offense and her willingness to take the component.”

I set my tea down and flipped a few pages as I took in the information, “Did Zayne mention how she came about being a runner in that area and what Zayne's reasoning was for following her?”

Wufei walked back over to his desk and sat down, “He answers to a minor division of the group. I would imagine he was trying to get more concrete entail to shorten his service with us. He had mentioned she had a link to someone higher up the chain.”

With a sigh I sat back and studied her file, “We need to bring her in. She could have been the last person he spoke with before he went radio silent. Did he give you anything on where he would hole up if he got in over his head?”

Wufei shook his head and threw his empty cup away, “This is a mess Yuy. If we don't figure this out or at least do some damage to this group it could get to a size that can't be controlled. Rumors are flying around that they are experimenting with new drugs and using teens as pack mules.” he sighed and rubbed at the creases in his forehead.

“This new drug, do we have any information on it? Is it similar to the other enhancement drugs we are aware of?” I questioned.

“At this point, it's still an unknown. The information we've received on it is next to nothing, our informants haven't been able to get their hands on it for our scientists to look at. The information we do have is all hearsay, nothing concrete.”

“So we could have teenagers running around with a drug we have no information on. We have no idea what it does, what it enhances or its side effects...this is just getting better and better.” I sarcastically stated.

“We can only process the ones that we have come across. The easiest ones to spot are the ones that involve physical alterations. Other's that are minor enhancement drugs aren't usually brought to us willingly, so we come across them by chance depending on who we catch.”

With a sigh, I threw down the file and leaned back in my chair in frustration. There was so much we still didn't know when it came to Genesis. Some of their drugs were hard to track down, that's what makes the group so dangerous.

“We should track Yursa down and bring her in for questioning, she may have more information on this new drug and where Zayne might have gone. We should start there. Do we know where she goes to school or does she have a job?”

Wufei tapped away at his computer for a few minutes before answering, “It looks like she goes to LC academy, a small all-girl school. Her file doesn't mention anything about any last known job location, but that can change.”

I looked at a map of that area and noticed the school was located near the shipping division, which would explain why she was assigned to that area. I pushed the print button and got up from my seat, “Let's go report this to Une and see what she wants us to do.”

He nodded and made our way to report our suspicions and find out where she wanted us to go with what we had. As we waited for the elevator my watch lit up with a message.

_**Duo: How's your morning been, find anything useful?** _

_**Me: A possible lead came up...We're going to go check it out. Don't ask for specifics because you know I can't talk about it.** _

_**Receiver Typing...** _

I tensed up when the elevator doors opened, I needed to pay more attention to my surroundings and not my watch. Seeing my reaction Wufei raised his eyebrow and looked down at my watch and back up at me before getting on the elevator. I cleared my throat and walked in behind him. He pushed the number to Une's floor and the elevator started its ascent. Wufei was staring at the metal doors as I watched the number's change.

“Anything you would like to share?”

“It's nothing to concern yourself with.” Before he could ask any more questions I changed the subject, “How was your weekend?”

He set his mouth in a line but let it slide, “Same as usual. Sally and I met up for dinner Saturday night...her idea.”

“In other words, you were obsessing over the case and she pulled you away to breathe,” I smirked

His eyes met mine in the reflective metal surface of the elevator doors, “What about you, isn't Mikhail flying in today?”

“Plans changed...” I didn't feel like getting into it.

Before he could ask any more questions the elevator doors opened and we made our way down to Une's office. He knocked on the door and a muffled voice instructed us to enter. Wufei opened the door and we both walked in and we were met with the view of Une's head bent over something on her desk; she didn't even bother looking up.

“What can I do for you boys.” She inquired as she continued with her papers.

I took a seat in the chair in front of her desk, schooling my face so not to give away what the movement did for my back. I didn't need them asking questions, I had planned to take my pills before coming in but I got caught up in what Wufei was doing. I looked down at my watch as Wufei relayed to her our findings.

_**Duo: Something is better than nothing, good luck.** _

I let a small, unnoticed smirk fall on my lips as I answered.

_**You: Indeed, good luck to you too.** _

“....We wanted to bring her in and question her. She may have been the last person our informant spoke with. Not to mention she may have information on this new drug.” Wufei finished.

Une leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, “Do you think she will cooperate? From the report Mitchell and Nelson put in she doesn't seem the type to turn.”

“We don't know until we try Ma'am, it's the only lead we have so far. Any information that we can get could help us track him down or confirm if this drug is a thing or not.” Wufei rested his hand on the back of my chair as Une thought it over.

She sat forward in her chair and rested her hands on her desk, “I trust your judgment, if you think it's worth pursuing then I won't get in your way. Remember that she is a minor, you will handle her as such. If I feel that you aren't handling it appropriately I will have Mitchell and Nelson handle her.”

“Understood Ma'am” She dismissed us with her hand and returned to the papers on her desk. I carefully stood and we saluted before we made our way out of her office.

* * *

We found ourselves across the street from the school 45 minutes later in one of the unmarked Preventer's vehicles. The School wasn't scheduled to be out for the day for a couple of hours and we had hoped to catch her on her way out to prevent making a scene.

Wufei parked the car across the street from the dormitories and rested his elbow against the window, placing his chin in his hand. This wasn't the most exciting part of the job, It didn't much bother me but Wufei despised it.

“Care to tell me what is going on with Mikhail?” Shit...I had hoped he would drop it. With nothing else to do, I'd hoped he would have picked something else to kill time.

“It's nothing Wufei, don't worry about it.”

His eyes never left the window as he took a sip of his coffee, “This is the third time he had called it off. This time seemed different from how you explained. You usually are willing to talk about him, you seemed evasive.”

Sometimes it sucked that he was so observant. With a sigh I straightened my back and leaned my head against the back of the chair, “He called it off...felt like it wasn't fair to either of us since we barely had much time with one another.”

“How are you holding up,” he inquired.

“Are you my therapist now?” my voice was short and annoyed.

“No, I don't get paid to listen to your problems. But I am your partner and friend...” He had to pull that card.

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed, “It's not pleasant...My mental state won't mess with the case if that's what you're wondering.”

“That's not...” He sighed and glanced at me from the corner of his eye, “That's not what I meant and you know it.”

I couldn't help it, I was defensive on the subject and it was still fresh. Yeah, it didn't feel great, I had thought it was going somewhere but life had other plans. Duo's nightlit face came to mind and I shook my head. I shifted my leg and silently winced. The upside to this situation I was able to sit down.

Wufei put his cup in the holder and reached into the council and tossed my pills into my lap, “Take the damn pill Yuy.”

I gave him one of my famous stares as I opened the bottle and took the pill, using my tea to wash it down. “It's not that bad...” My voice was off-put and flat

“Yeah, that is about as likely as Relena giving up.” He pulled a protein bar out of his pocket and handed it to me.

“You need to stop this, Why deal with the pain if you have a way to prevent it.”

“You know exactly why I don't, Chang. I can't afford to be out of it.” He sighed at my response.

“She's not likely to be out for another couple hours, its only 10. They don't even break for lunch until noon.” He gave me a serious look with a hint of irritation, “How long has it been this time. Did it even stop from Friday?”

“Drop it Wufei, you said your piece.” I finished off the bar and threw away the wrapper.

“If it keeps up you go to Sally, I'll drag you there myself if need be...Wángù de báichī (1).”

I snapped my head around and gave him another glare for good measure before resuming my previous state. My eyes started to feel heavy as I laid my head back and let them close, he would wake me if I was needed.

* * *

The next thing I was aware of was Wufei shaking me awake. Once he had my attention he pointed out the window at a blonde-headed girl, she was walking toward the dorms by herself. I looked down at the clock and noted the time. It looked like she was going out for lunch.

“That's her.” He stated and I nodded.

We both got out of our vehicle and made our way toward Yursa. Her back was to us and she didn't hear us coming.

“Yursa,” At the sound of her name she whipped her head around to stare at us. Realizing who we were her eyes grew large.

“SHIT!” She took off at an unnatural speed.

“Get the car! Cut her off if possible!” I yelled as I took off after her at full speed. Wufei ran back to the car and I heard the engine start before my focus went into catching her. The wheels squealed as he passed me, the smell of rubber permeated the air.

There was no way a normal teenager could run at that speed. In the brief second we caught a glimpse of her she didn't look to have any physical alterations this time around but she sure as hell had the speed of a cat.

“Stop Yursa, Don't resist!” I yelled as she bolted down an ally between two buildings.

“Fuck you!” She yelled back as I turned into the ally. She had made it out of the ally and across the street mere seconds before Chang came to cut her off. She didn't miss a beat and turned left to run toward the Ivory Moon Cafe.

I ran at full throttle, slid across the hood of the Preventer's vehicle, and stayed in pursuit as Wufei drove off in an attempt to intercept her at the next block. She was able to pull ahead of me and run past the Cafe into the next ally. I turned down the ally less than a minute after her and I saw the Preventer's vehicle at the other end but she had vanished.

The next thing I heard was Wufei yelling my name, I didn't have time to process before something hit me hard from behind. The trenchant pain engulfed my spine on impact, followed by my knees hitting the pavement, leaving me in a bridged position on my hands and knees. I looked up and caught a bleary glimpse of Wufei dragging her off the hood of the car by her ankle before my vision went black.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm getting good at these cliff-hangers! I was going to continue but this seemed a good place to stop for this chapter. Don't worry, I'll be posting again soon, until then! :)

(1) Stubborn Idiot in Chinese.


	10. The Space Between Us

**A/N : **Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys but I do have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be somewhat of a challenge to write. I am still pretty iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

**Summary : **After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new group has made an appearance. The movement is called the "Genesis" movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the " _Genesis"_ movement and the trials and tribulations the G-boys face in the process.

**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 10**

**Duo's POV**

My morning was pretty productive if I do say so myself. After Heero left I put all the dishes in the sink then took a shower before making myself presentable for my visit to the Licensing facility. I had chosen another one of my sleeveless turtle neck shirts and a clean pair of faded jeans before throwing a relatively fitted button-up shirt over it to make the look. My hair was pinned back in a top knot with sticks that matched my dark blue turtle neck. I grabbed the key and codes off the counter, slipped into my shoes, and headed out.

I was able to make it to the train stop in record time and took the extra time to text Heero. I know it had only been about two hours since he left but I couldn't stop myself from checking in on him. He seemed short with his responses so I kept it simple and spent the last five minutes waiting for the train, enjoying the sounds of the subway. The morning crowd had already thinned out and only a few stragglers were left behind. I boarded the train when it arrived and slipped my earbuds in, sat back, and enjoyed the ride.

I was able to arrive at the Licensing place right around 10 and, thankfully, the line wasn't nearly as long as it was on Saturday. I spent most of an hour speaking with them until they instructed me to take the processed transfers down to the shipping district where they would be processed and the request would be sent out for the parts I needed. I thanked them and headed for the bus stop that was located right outside the building. I didn't see a point in taking the train for a 20-minute commute by bus, it would have taken longer if I went back to the subway.

My bus arrived about 10 minutes after I arrived, I stepped in and paid the toll before taking my seat and watched at other's boarded. When we arrived at the part's facility in the shipping district, I looked down at my watch and noted the time. Great, I had just enough time to drop off the transfer license and forms and catch something to eat.

I dropped the forms off with the appropriate party and I was informed they should be able to get the parts by Friday. I thanked them and filled out the appropriate forms to have them delivered to the Spaceport Saturday morning. They were surprisingly accommodating, with the way Howard explained the process I was lead to believe it would be harder than it was. I thanked them once again and made my way to the Cafe that I noted as we drove in, it was only about a block away from the building, easily doable by foot.

I arrived around 11:45, right at the beginning of the lunch rush. I picked out a simple sandwich and some coffee before sitting down at a table near the front windows. I took the time to sip at my coffee, taking occasional bites from my sandwich as I sent an e-mail to Howard with an update. He responded with praises and stated he would have someone there by Saturday afternoon to pick me and the parts up.

I set my tablet down and looked out the windows, the area had a lot of local businesses along with the preventer-run part factories spotting the area, along with some gas stations and a few bars, nothing too interesting. I turned to look down at my tablet and take another drink from my coffee when I heard a familiar voice yell out a name. My head shot up just in time to see a girl hauling ass in front of the Cafe, a preventer's vehicle rushing by and Heero in pursuit.

I shot to my feet and ran out the door, catching a glimpse of his back as he turned down the alley.

/ _Why the hell is he here!/_

I heard a far off voice of someone yelling Heero's name in urgency, my gut clenched, and my curiosity got the best of me. Before I had time to think my feet had me running in the same direction the commotion was coming from.

/ _What the fuck is going on!/_ was my last thought as I came to a screeching halt at the opening of the alley. I was greeted with the sight of Wufei struggling to get cuffs on a young girl that was screaming obscenities at him and Heero was laying on the ground motionless.

/ _Fuck!/_

* * *

Wufei was still fighting to get the young lady in the car when I came to a crouching stop by Heero. My hands were shaking as I reached down to press my fingers to his neck. His pulse was flighty but still there and he was breathing.

/ _Thank God! Scare ten years off a man why don't ya./_

I brushed his hair clear of his face and leaned down, "Heero, come on buddy, open those gorgeous blue eyes for me."

I heard the car door slam and rushing steps on the pavement, "I got an officer down, send an EMT asap! Location is alley by Ivory Moon Cafe in the shipping district!"

I ran my hand gently through his hair as I tried to slow down my racing heart and breathing when Wufei came to crouch down on the other side of his fallen comrade.

"Don't move him, I'm going to need you to step away sir. Preventers are on their way, we have this handled." Wufei didn't look up once as he placed his hand on Heero's wrist, monitoring the pulse as well.

I pushed his hand out of the way when he tried to get me to back off, "Like Hell Chang! What the fuck is going on! Why are you guys out here!"

That got his attention. Wufei's head shot up and his eyes slowly widened when he registered who I was. It didn't last though, his face soon screwed up with anger and he got a small snarl on his lips.

"What the hell, Maxwell! Where the hell did you even come from!"

"That doesn't matter right now! What the hell happened here! You guys were supposed to be checking out a lead!" I angrily replied.

He motioned to the car behind him, "What do you think THAT is!" He let out a frustrated huff as a piece of stray hair fell out of his ponytail and into his eyes, "You need to go back to wherever you were! This is Preventer's business. Do you have any idea how you being here will make this shit worse! If he wakes up and sees you he is going to be livid!"

"Fuck you Wufei! Shelf your personal issues now is not the time, what matters right now is getting your partner help. What's the ETA!" I snarled as I leaned back down to be level with Heero's face, a hand absently running through his hair. What the hell was he thinking! With the way, he's been the last few days he had no business pursuing on foot.

I heard Wufei growl slightly in frustration and looked at his wrist, "Why are you acting like a concerned friend now! It's been 4 years Maxwell, you didn't seem so concerned about his welfare then!"

I ignored his ranting and kept running my hand through his hair, "Come on buddy...If you don't snap out of it you're gonna be the butt of so many jokes at the office for being taken down by a girl. A teenager none the less, come on..."

"Are you listening to me, Maxwell!"

I turned my head in his direction, I have had enough of his shit at the moment and I am sure he could see it on my face, "I hear you, I just don't give a shit! Help me turn him over."

Wufei stopped me before I had a chance to try and move him, "Are you stupid, Maxwell! You know damn well we can't move him. We don't know the extent of his injuries. She got him square in the back in a full force flying kick!"

"Fuck!" I sat up on my knees and checked my watch on my free wrist, my hand never leaving his hair. "Where is that fucking back-up!" I was beyond pissed, I felt helpless and nothing I did was getting a response out of the still form near my knees.

"How did you even know we were following a lead! Has he been talking to you!" Wufei was pissed, I could recall how many time he has ever lost it enough to yell or to curse for that matter.

"What the fuck does it matter Wufei! It's none of your business on why I'm here and how I know what I do!" My voice had raised to match his.

In the distance, I heard the sirens blaring on either side of the alley. Wufei and I sat there glaring at one another until the medical team rushed in and pushed me aside. Wufei had stood up and stepped back while giving me a glare that said, 'we aren't done' as a person from the medical team came over and started asking him questions.

I stayed crouched near the team as they strapped a straight board to Yuy's back and applied a neck brace before they flipped him over, board and all. They dropped down the legs and started checking his vitals. I felt completely useless as Wufei's droning voice relayed the information. I stood and watched them place a mask over his face as they wheeled him away to the Medical transport and loaded him up. The person Wufei was talking to wrote a few more things down before joining the others in the EMT and they drove off at a fast speed. The action was a blur and I didn't come back to my senses until I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder in a firm grip.

"You're coming with me to the office to make a statement on what you saw," Wufei stated as he walked me over to a squad car.

"Fuck that! I'll give you a damn statement after I know that Heero is good!" I harshly shrugged his hand off my shoulder.

His face set in a stern line and he worked his jaw, "The medical facility is in the same building, Either way, you are coming. Go with Mitchell and Nelson, they will take a quick statement and then take you to the medical wing. I'll meet you there." He pushed me down to get in the back of the car.

Wufei slammed the door shut after I was in and we were on our way, "Fuck!"

* * *

After I arrived at Preventer's I gave my statement and demanded that they take me to the medical wing. I had already wasted enough time giving them what they wanted and I was done. They argued with me for a few minutes but I made it clear that they either take me right then or I would find it myself. I am sure they were about as done with me as I was with them.

I looked around the sitting area and spotted Wufei standing by the desk talking with the receptionist. He didn't look happy with what she was telling him.

"What's going on," I asked and spared a sideways look at the receptionist.

"They won't release any information to anybody outside of kin. I explained that this would be cleared up if she would just page Sally." His voice was strained as if he was trying to hold back his anger.

"As I said sir, she is with the patient now." The receptionist replied.

I slammed my hand down on the desk and counter and snarled, "Fuck that! I want information and I want it now!"

"I'm sorry sirs as I stated nobody is allowed back there except next of kin. Relena made it explicitly clear not to let anybody else in right now," she explained

"Relena! He has the banshee as his next of kin!" I was a few seconds away from storming through the doors, hell with the protocol.

"He must have forgotten to change it...I am Chang Wufei, his partner, I have just as much right to be there as anybody."

The receptionist typed away at the computer and plastered a smile on her face before looking over at the Chinese man, "Oh, why didn't you say so. I still can't get you in but I can get the Doctor for you just give me one moment."

I pushed away from the counter and took a seat in one of the chairs. Like hell, they are going to stop me from getting back there. Just as the receptionist picked up the phone, Sally came running through the doors. Wufei and I looked up in surprise.

"Thank god!" she walked straight over to Wufei, "I need your help Wufei..."

I stood up and jogged over to the two to see what was going on, "He's awake but frantic. I can't ground him. Relena is in there..."

My outburst cut her off, "Fuck! Did you strap him?" I was fuming.

Sally looked over in shock, just realizing that I was there. Thankfully she didn't question and continued, "We had to strap him, we didn't know the extent of his injuries. If I don't get him calmed down I won't be able to check the extent..." I didn't stick around to hear the rest of her sentence.

I stormed through the door at a jog as I looked at the surgery windows before I came across his. Relena was yelling his name and he was straining against the restraints. They had him on his stomach, table inclined at a 40-degree angle, his prosthetic was removed, and his arms were strapped along with his good leg. I didn't waste any time. I ran into the room, pushed the banshee out of the way, crouched down so that I was level with his eyes, and placed my hands on either side of his face. I held his head firm as I spoke in a low, soothing tone.

"Hey, buddy. Hey, hey, hey calm down bud..."

* * *

**Heero's POV/ Medical**

Where the hell was I! Last thing I remembered was pursuing the girl and then nothing but pain, unbearable pain. My back still felt on fire and my stump was pulsing. I couldn't move my arms and legs, something was holding them in place. My pulse was racing with my accelerated heart rate and I was fighting for air.

"Ey, hey calm down buddy...Come on, shh" a familiar, soft voice instructed. When I opened my eyes I was greeted by violet orbs shadowed with concern. I could feel his fingers threading through my hair as he stroked my face. I could hear an unpleasant voice yelling at him to step away. His head whipped in her direction, breaking eye contact with me.

"You're screaming isn't helping, shut up already!" He responded before turning back to me, effectively ignoring the woman as she continued to rant.

"Hey bud, you're settin' off all sorts of alarms, ya gotta calm down. Breathe through it."

I took in a huge gasp of air and pulled on my arms again... I wanted them off, I wanted to know what was going on. He moved one hand away from my face and rested it on my arm to still my movement.

"Stop jerkin bud you're gonna hurt yourself. I'm sure your in enough pain right now, no need to add to it..come on breathe for me." I let my arms go slack and let out the air I had sucked in before gasping for another.

His fingers gently ran across the back of my hand and on my face as he spoke to me softly. The ranting in the background had stopped, thankfully and my heart rate was slowing down. My hearing had cleared up and I noted that The monitors stopped beeping and I was taking in small stuttered breaths. The fire in my spine came to the forefront and I moaned softly.

"There ya go, you with me now?" Duo inquired.

I let out a shuttered breath and nodded slightly, causing more pain to shoot down my spine. His hands stilled my movement and he gave a small smile, his eyes never moving from mine.

"This is preposterous! Why are you even here, I told you to leave! Who let you in any way!" Relena's irritated voice stated.

Duo's face screwed up with irritation, "Yeah, because you were doing just a fine damn job handling the situation..."

"How dare you speak to me that way. You have no business being here, why don't you go back to space you worthless guttersnipe! ...Walk in here like you haven't been gone for years.." I saw her move forward and try to push his hands away.

"No..." My voice was raspy and dry.

"Heero! Oh thank goodness, you're awake." She went to move his hands again to replace them with hers.

"NO..." My voice was stronger and I saw a small smirk form on Duo's face with my response.

Relena pulled her hands back in surprise, "Surely Heero..." Duo's voice cut her off and Relena's jaw dropped.

"It's alright bud...I'm not goin' anywhere. Do you know where you are?"

Before I could answer, the door open behind me and two sets of footsteps entered the room. "Thank goodness, you got him to calm down. Is he lucid now?" Sally's voice sounded relieved.

Duo looked up at her when she entered and then looked back down at me, "You with us now?"

"Yeah...hurts..." I replied softly.

Duo looked back up and nodded, "Yeah, but he's in some serious pain Sal...can ya do something about it?"

I heard her heels click across the surgery floor, "I need everyone out to get anything done, that includes you Miss Peacecraft." Relena crossed her arms and huffed before walking out of the room with who I assumed was Wufei and Duo's hands started to pull back as I spoke.

"No..."

Duo stopped his movement and he gave me a look of confusion. "...'Ro?"

"No, stay." My responses were short but the pain in my back doubled anytime I tried to speak, it was bad enough it felt like fire with every breath I took.

Duo looked up at Sally and I heard her sigh, "I don't know how or why you are here or why he wants you to stay but I won't deny the request. There is no harm in it, Wufei usually stays when he gets into these situations."

"Situations? This has happened before?" he questioned as his hand left my face and slowly threaded through my hair.

I closed my eyes and just concentrated on the conversation and his touch. It seems that his touch still has the same effect as it used to and it was distracting me from the pain. I felt my body slowly relax and my breathing finally evened out. I heard the heart monitor slow down considerably as a reaction to his calming gesture.

"Well that is something new, seems like your presence is almost doing too well of a job." she chuckled softly.

I felt Duo's hand still for a minute before he continued his movement, "Wasn't Chang able to do this? You said he's done it before...and you didn't answer my question."

Sally softly chuckled again and I heard her heels click on the floor as she walked around to the other side of the table, "Yes, Chang did this before but it was never this effective. As for your question, yes this has happened before. We both know he's stubborn and pushes his limits."

I opened my eyes when I felt his hand leave my wrist and saw him shake his head and rub his temple. His face still looked pinched with concern as he and Sally spoke. Some of his hair had come loose from his sticks and fell over his face. He turned to look down at me and gave me a sad smile.

"You gotta stop this bud, you're gonna give your partner a heart attack."

"I'd have to agree with Maxwell, Chang isn't much use to me dead." Sally cut in. "Let's see what we can do about making you more comfortable." her hand came down on my good knee and I jumped, not expecting the touch, and instantly regretted it. I closed my eyes and let out a pained moan.

"Sorry, Yuy...I didn't mean to startle you. I'm going to lower the bed out to make this easier, it will also take some pressure off your back." I felt her lower the rack back down, my vision was greeted with the linoleum floor and Duo's boots.

Duo's hand shifted to my shoulder, I could feel the warmth of his hand seep into it as he watched Sally doing her routine checks of my vitals. Her hands were cold on my skin as her clinical touch ran across my back, her touch light, and professional. Duo's hand gently rubbed at my shoulder with feather-light sweeps over my skin as she stepped away to grab something from a metal tray before I felt her hand on my opposite shoulder. I tensed, not sure what she planned to do.

"I'm going to give you a mild pain killer to take off the edge while we check out your back. Unfortunately, I need you awake and lucid." I felt the cold touch of the alcohol swab and tensed up even more if it was possible.

"Try talking to him Duo, this next part isn't going to be very pleasant. I need to check the alignment of his back and, as I stated, he is lucid through the check."

I saw Duo crouch down and rest his hand on the back of my head, I can only see his jean-clad legs in my line of sight. I felt his hands rubbing at my scalp and I shut my eyes; my body relaxed from the touch. I was confused and not sure how much I cared for my reactions to him. It was completely different during the war, I don't know what to think about it now...

"Hey buddy, why don't you tell me more about Jynx. Was she always so loving from the start?" His voice was soft and mesmerizing.

"She..." I cleared my throat and relaxed the death grip I had on the straps, "She was really weak when I first got her..." I felt a small prick from the needle as I told Duo the whole story about Jynx. How she was so small and not able to feed when I first got her, how I used to sleep with her on my chest to make sure she had enough warmth through the night, how I had to ween her myself, and her habit of sucking on the fleece blanket I kept her wrapped in, and how she was very timid.

"Wow, She has come a long way huh, and you spoiled her to bits I bet." his slim fingers skimmed over my bare shoulder and the side of my neck, giving me something to focus on. Sally's hands ran down my spine, starting at the top and applying pressure as she went from disk to disk, checking each one as thoroughly as possible. The pain was hardly noticeable as she worked.

"I did everything I could for her, she was strong and..." I tensed as scathing pain erupted from my spine when Sally came to the disks in my lower back, cutting off my sentence. I let out a hideously pathetic sound and my hands gripped the edges of the rack in a white-knuckled hold.

"Easy, easy buddy breathe...Jeezus Sally, what are you doing killing him?"

Sally's hands continued to work down my back, with the sounds I was making you would think I was being tortured with a hot poker, that's exactly how her touch felt at that moment; like a hot poker had been run down my spine, searing me to the bone. My eyes started to tear up, the pain had never been this bad before. Both of Duo's hands came up to rest on the backs of mine, his thumbs rubbed over my wrists in a comforting motion.

"Breathe through it buddy...Shit Sally fucking stop!" Duo's voice was filled with anger and venom.

"I needed to check how bad it was and where Duo, now calm yourself down. It's not like I enjoy this!" She continued for a few more seconds before her hands left my back. I could feel the sweat running down my temple as I panted. The pain slowly ebbed down to a dull throb and I took in a gasp of breath. I started seeing spots in my vision as I fought the need to pass out.

"She's done 'Ro, she's done try to breathe, shhh..."

Duo continued to talk me down as I fought to get my bearings, my body was shaking with the exertion. I slowly loosened my grasp on the rack and rested my thumbs against his wrists.

"What the hell was that!" He sounded livid, "Why was that necessary, couldn't you have given him more pain killers?!"

Sally slowly walked around the table again and sat in her chair, "It's the only way to check the bionics."

His hands gripped mine fractionally as he fought to get himself under control. I wasn't surprised by his actions, I never really explained how they fixed my back when he asked. Wufei's reaction was similar when he witnessed the procedure himself.

"Duo..stop, s'okay."

"No, it's not okay 'Ro! There's gotta be a better way to check that shit." He rested his hand back in my hair as he spoke.

"Sally...explain to him please." I croaked as I worked on regulating my breathing and bringing my heart rate back down.

"The bionics in his back are powered by an electrically charged fluid. When he "slips a disk" it kinks the line and causes pressure and blocks the flow. This fluid also keeps the bionics at a consistent temperature so overheating isn't an issue. The fluid responds to his brain waves as well, allowing the messages from his brain to travel through his back, so it kind of takes place of the nerves that were damaged in the accident. When the line is pinched it cuts off the messages from the brain to his legs. Thanks to the bionics he can walk as if there was nothing wrong."

She paused as Duo soaked in the information. My thumbs weakly rubbed the inside of his wrist as he processed. The information is a lot to take in and it's hard to explain. I remember when she first explained it to me and I still have a hard time getting my head around it. Her hand came to rest on the silicone cover that was located on my lower back, she peeled the cover off and continued.

"This is a port, we can drain and replace the fluid through this. Once the fluid is drained I can realign his back and free the blocked lines. When I do this he loses feeling from the waist down, he may feel a bit uncomfortable as the pressure is released and as the fluid is replaced but he won't feel me rearranging the disks that had slipped because the 'nerves' would be essentially 'dead'."

Duo's hand left mine temporarily as he ran it down his face and then replaced it, "So where do we go from here."

"Now that I know where the damage is I can correct it. The whole process can take anywhere from an hour to three depending on how bad the case. With my findings, it's probably going to take a few hours to correct it. After I do that we will keep him here for a day or two as the fluid regulates. This is just a precaution. If it's too much it creates pressure, resulting in tingling in his legs. If its too little his responses will be delayed. It's like trying to calibrate a Mobile Suit if you need a comparison." she explained.

"That's some high-tech stuff Sal..." came his soft reply. He sounded overwhelmed with the information, I wished I could see his face, I'm no good at reading tones. I let out a soft sigh and squeezed his hand to the best of my ability.

"Can we remove the restraints at least? He's calmed down now." He inquired.

"I'd rather not until after I bleed the line...he has a tendency of twitching, it's an auto-response and he has no control over it." she sounded hesitant.

"What if I stayed while you do that, I'll hold him steady. Is there anything else you found?"

I felt him slightly relax, I assumed she shook her head at his question. Her heels clicked as she made her way to remove the restraints on my arms but my leg was left strapped. I sighed and wiggled my fingers once they were removed from my wrists and turned my hands up to squeezed his in a comforting gesture.

"It'll be fine Duo...You got me through the worse of it, thanks." My voice was raspy.

"Can I get some water?" I asked.

"Sure, Heero. I'll have Duo do that while I set up the drain line, sound good?"

"Thanks..."

Duo released my hands and stepped away for a minute before returning. He laid down on the floor under the table with the glass in his hands and gave me a soft smile. I let out a short laugh and returned his smile with one of my own as he held the straw up to my lips. I sipped from the glass as I felt Sally hooking the drain tube up to the port on my back. The tube traveled down my leg and she hooked the small electrical catch unit up to the side of the bed. I saw the red light on as she crouched down to mess with the controls. Her blue eyes caught mine and she smiled before standing. Duo pulled the straw away from my lips and stood up to set it back down on a counter.

"Okay Duo, place your hands here...and here." She placed his hands on my shoulder blades, I shivered at the touch before bringing my arms up to grip his forearms, "Apply enough pressure to keep him steady okay?" Her shoes left my sight, he must have nodded. I hated not being able to see what was going on.

Sally crouched back down by the unit and looked over at me, her hair was loose and it fell over one shoulder, "Ready Heero?"

"Yeah...as ready as I can be."

She gave me a soft smile and turned her attention back to the unit. She slowly turned the dial and I watched the light change from red to green. A Small whir was heard as the machine started, "Three...Two..." I felt the machine starting the pull and my shoulders jerked. Duo's hands applied pressure, holding me steady as my hands tightened on his arms.

"Easy buddy..." His fingers rubbed between my shoulder blades as I felt numbness slowly travel down my back. I jerked a few more times before the machine turned off on its own accord.

"Perfect Heero, can you feel this?"

"No...I can only feel Duo's hands."

"Great! Okay Duo, Thank you for your assistance. I think I and my nurses can handle it from here. If you want to wait in the waiting room I'll let you know when we're done." His hands left my back and he touched my hair one more time.

"Alright buddy, I'll see you in a bit okay?"

"...Taisetsuna tomodachi, arigatō (1)"

I heard him smirk, "Anytime, 'Ro." His shoes left my view as he walked out of the surgery. I pulled my arms under my head and rested my forehead on them. A few pairs of white shoes enter the room as the nurses walked in to assist.

"Okay Heero, you just relax and we will get this handled so you can get some much-needed rest."

* * *

**A/N:** Alrighty, this was a bit longer than the others because it was a rather busy chapter. I hope I didn't lose anybody. It's intended to be a long story, so I like to include a lot of detail and try to avoid jumping around too much. Hope there aren't many plot holes so far. I know Heero didn't talk much during his POV but I wanted to explain what he was feeling and Duo isn't a mind reader lol! Comments and Critique welcome, until next time! :)

(1)- 'Thank you my precious friend' in Japanese.


	11. The Space Between Us

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys, but I have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be a challenge to write. I am still iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.

 **Summary:** After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new group has made an appearance. The movement is the "Genesis" movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the "Genesis" movement and the trials and tribulations G-boy's face.

**The Space Between Us**

**Chapter 11**

**Duo's POV**

When I walked out of the surgery Wufei was standing at the view window. His eyes met mine in the glass's reflection. I stuck one hand in my front pocket and reached to rub the back of my head with the other.

His voice gave away no emotion when he spoke, "We need to talk..."

I took a moment to look into the surgery before I sighed and nodded. He turned on his heels and walked out to the lobby with the expectancy that I would follow. Once we entered the overly white waiting room, Relena briskly walked over, her eyes glinting with anger and intent, and...

_**SMACK!** _

Her eyes were glacial as I rubbed at my burning cheek. The look of total shock crossed my face as she raised her hand again. Wufei wrapped his hand around her wrist before the second hit landed. She was flaming pissed... and I kinda found it entertaining despite the sting.

"How DARE you! You disappear for 4 years, didn't show any effort to contact anybody for at least two, and you come walking in here like you have a right?" Yup... Pissed.

"Enough Miss Peacecraft, I'm getting down to the bottom of this." Wufei's dark eyes turned to me, "Outside, now."

I rubbed my red cheek and gave the banshee a glare of my own as I followed him out the door. Once outside, I pulled out my smokes and lit one, Wufei just stared. He didn't say a word, he just stood there, arms crossed, with a look of disapproval on his face. I didn't know what he wanted me to say, and that look was kind of... creepy. Even during the war, I could never figure him out or read him well. His glares and stances sent mixed messages. Was he angry? Was he undisturbed? Was he even surprised to see me here? I mean, sure, when he saw me by Heero in the alley he seemed surprised to see that it was me, but now he was just stoic.

"Four years, Maxwell..."

"I know..." I stared up at the sky as the smoke left hanging between my loose lips.

"Two years since anybody could even reach you..."

"I know" I took another drag, wondering where he was going with this.

"Explain..." He demanded in a monotone voice. Ah, there's the Wufei I knew.

"I'm here on a job. Heero and I crossed paths by the diner last Friday evening."

I didn't feel like I owed him an explanation; it was none of his business on why I was there and how Heero and I ended up where we are now. I just left my face as blank as his as I took drags from my cigarette. This day had already been stressful enough, and I didn't need his lectures, I never listened to them before and I wasn't about to start now.

"That's all you have to say for yourself?" His voice was angry, fist clenched on his crossed arms against his chest, "Two years Maxwell! For some of us, it's longer. Where were you when he had his accident? Where were you during his therapy and his surgeries! You were unreachable or wouldn't take our calls, and THAT is all you have to say for yourself? Essentially, 'oops my bad'?"

I threw my bud down and ran my hand through my hair in frustration, "I was going through some shit, okay? You guys seemed fine, you didn't need me around to screw up the crap you started here."

"Things like what?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

"If I wanted you ta' know, I would have told ya'. Honestly, it's none of your goddamn business," I said defensively.

"You think you're the only one that had issues? That had problems to work through? Would it have killed you to call or at least monitor the news? Seriously, Maxwell..." He continued, his voice steadily dropping into a growl.

I leaned against the side of the building, foot resting against the brick wall, and tuned him out as he continued with his rant. I rested my head back against the wall and shut my eyes; I was too mentally tired to put up with this shit right now and it isn't even 2 yet. With the incident with Heero and all the running I had to do for Howard this morning, I was just done. I interrupted his ranting after a few minutes and just gave him a tired look out of the corner of my eye.

"Look Wu', I get it you're mad. I know I fucked up and I should have stayed in touch. I was pretty fucked up after Hilde and I needed to figure my shit out. I didn't want to drag you guys into my shit pile. All I can say is sorry and that I'll do better for now on, especially now that I know what all kinda' shit has happened in my absence," I pulled out another cigarette and put it between my slack lips, just letting it hang there as I continued.

"Why didn't any of you tell me about Heero's accident. You had ample chances to do so, you guys were still calling me when it happened. Had any of you thought to inform me? For fuck's sake, I am out in space, usually on a job. I barely get any reception in my ship when I'm out scrapping," it irritated me. How dare he try to pin this all on me? My lack of contact, my lack of presence, is he serious? It was just as much their fault as it was mine!

Wufei uncrossed his arms and leaned on the wall next to me, "It's Wufei... and we figured you knew. It was all over the news 'Relena's Perfect Soldier, Now Broken!'" He sighed and looked at my smoke in disgust, "That will kill you."

I ignored his comment and lit the cigarette anyway, if only to irritate him. "You should have said somethin', someone should have said somethin'. You know I don't pay attention to the political side of shit. I would have been here if I would have known, someone should have informed me."

"You made it hard to get even a call through to you. I can't speak for everyone but you were standoffish and withdrawn on the phone calls...you never had a call for longer than maybe 10 minutes and you offered no personal information. I figured it irritated you, so I stopped. I imagine it was the same for the others." He said in defense.

"But none of you said a word, you spoke of meaningless things, nothing about your personal lives either, nothing about how everyone was doing even when I asked. You guys just ignored it, it shouldn't have surprised me, not being part of 'the group'. I was always an outsider, always a nuisance, always an irritation. I made headway with Heero, he was speaking, and we became close. I definitely was close with Quatre, he became a little brother to me. But despite the connections I made, you all still shared things and kept me out of the loop if you didn't deem my input necessary. So why would I offer something that not even you guys would?" I shouldn't have to explain myself or my actions, we were both at fault and he was just too stubborn to admit to it, all of them were.

I stuck a hand in my front pocket and looked down; my voice quiet, my face sullen, "I woulda' been there... I am already beating myself shitless for it. So you guys may be mad at me for ghosting... but you failed to give me pertinent information. I didn't even know 'Ro and Relena had split."

He let the conversation go because he had nothing to say or he was just being stubborn. I let the cigarette drop to the ground as we watched the clouds pass by for a few minutes in companionable silence.

"Will he be okay..." my voice was quiet, afraid to break the calm after the storm.

"He'll pull through... he always does. He'll probably be sore for two days. It could have been worse. Let's be thankful that it wasn't..." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn his head to look at me as I continued to stare at the cloud-blotted sky.

"He's had it rough, you know," He continued, "He handled much of his recovery on his own, except the driving. He was in the hospital until he was strong enough to get around on his own in a wheelchair. He allowed me to help him with his physical therapy, but most of the time he just wanted to be alone. Relena tried to get him to come to stay with her for a time but he refused, I don't blame him though..."

"Yeah, he is a stubborn ass-hole when he wants to be, that's for sure." I chuckled softly and turned to look at him, leaning my shoulder against the side of the brick building. "What happened with him and Relena anyway, he gave me the jest of it but no details."

He smirked and pushed off the building, "And I will not give you those details, Maxwell. I will not feed your curiosity, especially with information that is not my place to share."

I smirked and gave him a little shrug, "It was worth a shot..." my voice wavered some as I continued, "So... are we okay?"

A small mischievous glint lit his eye, "No, far from it! You have a lot to grovel for, hope you're up to the challenge." He stood up and made his way back into the building. All I could do was stand there, mouth wide open in shock.

"Pick your jaw up Maxwell, you'll catch flies," he threw over his shoulder as he walked inside. I sputtered for a second and did just that as I hurried to follow him.

"When did YOU get a sense of humor!" I yelled, laughter in my voice.

* * *

Have I said how much I hate hospitals? The chairs were always uncomfortable and the place always smells like antiseptic regardless of where you are. The waiting is always the worst. When we walked into the waiting room, Relena was having some conversation with the receptionist and Wufei had moved further away to talk to someone on his com. I looked up at the clock and noted that it had only been about 40 minutes since I left the surgery, time just seemed to drag. With a heavy sigh, I rested my head in my hands, my elbows on my knees, and twined my fingers through my hair. It left me to just sit and wait for Sally Po to come out with an update.

After a few minutes Wufei came over and took a seat next to me, back slouched against the chair, arms and ankles crossed, and leaned his head back against the wall with his eyes closed. If I didn't know better, he looked to be sleeping.

I tilted my chin in Relena's direction, "She lives here now? Couldn't let Heero out of her grasp when he left? Shouldn't she be off doing something with her campaign?" my voice had an irritated tone to it.

Wufei shifted slightly and turned to look at me, "She's here attending press conferences, debates, and charity events." He smirked, "and no, she doesn't live around here, though she is staying in the Peacamillion Resort and Suites until she finishes with her campaign. I believe her next visit is to L2 here in a week..."

I snorted and leaned back in the chair, taking on the same stance as Wufei did in his, "Whose running against her, do you think they will win, or is she in for another term?"

Wufei shrugged, "She's been doing pretty well the past seven years, it hasn't been easy picking up the pieces."

"Good, I hope it's been hell," I grumbled.

He sighed, "Zekale Garter, he's a progressive; 32 years of age, runs in the same circles as both Winner and Peacecrafts. He wants to further Science exploration, he's speaking to the masses that want the freedom of expression."

"Zekale? Is he the one that has been in the papers talking about finding a safe way to allow expression through all the altercations, augmentations, and splicing? The one that claimed he has found a safe way to splice and do augmentations without ill effects?" I questioned.

Wufei raised an eyebrow, "You don't pay attention to 'political stuff' but you know about his other endeavors?"

"Who doesn't, he's all over Science Today and Mechanic Clank... I wasn't aware he had an interest in the political side of things though. I figured he was just trying to aid the existing government with his research." I replied in a skeptical tone.

I couldn't believe it, Zekale? His research labs have brought a lot of business to most scrapping companies for data and gundanium alloy. He's trying to legalize all this crazy shit that is going on, and he claims to know how to do it with no ill effects? I mean, I knew the man was a genius, an evil one maybe, but that was crazy! Why would anybody want to encourage all the illegal stuff going on by giving an alternative, nothing good can come from splicing? What's his end game? Legalize it, give the masses a safe way to express themselves? It doesn't matter what claims he makes, the procedures alone would not be affordable for the normal worker, it would be top dollar.

"He's keeps us scrappers afloat...he uses a lot of what we find in his research material, and data." I explained.

Wufei leaned his head back and closed his eyes before continuing, "Preventers have been keeping a close eye on him, he's secretive about his research and doesn't explain how he is testing his theories. That enough is to make him suspect to being part of the Genesis movement in some way. We have nothing concrete. If it involves him, we aren't finding any proof of his involvement."

"That's high up the chain man...if Genesis has that many fingers in the pie it's not gonna be stopped easily..."

"We are well aware we may be fighting a losing battle, we aren't even aware of how far this stretches, if this is the only faction, or if there are several factions involved.." He sighed and sat forward, resting his arms on his legs, "But we can't stop...We need to do what we can for those we can. Right now we can help those here on L1...that is what we'll do."

I nodded in response and went back to resting my head against the wall. It was at times like this that it relieved me to be living space-side; I didn't need to concern myself with the stuff that is going on land-side. Things were simple in space, you did your job and made your runs and relaxed when you could. Not saying that the political side of things didn't affect us spacers, but it's less 'in your face' if you get my drift. With a sigh, I glanced up at the clock, willing it to go faster.

I heard the clicking of heels on the linoleum as they stepped into my line of sight. I rolled my eyes and sat back in my chair, refusing to meet her eye, opting to stare out the windows on the other side of the waiting room. I did not want to deal with the banshee right now. Maybe if I ignored her, she will get the point and disappear...no such luck.

"Why are you and Heero so buddy buddy suddenly!" I could hear her struggling not to raise her voice.

I kept staring out the windows. The only sound that could be heard was her food tapping on the floor. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye and rolled my eyes. I didn't have to answer to her and didn't owe her any explanation, and I wasn't about to give her one.

"I demand to know why you think you are wanted here! You've been gone for four years, you have no business walking in here like nothing is wrong!" her voice went up an octave by the end of her sentence.

I snorted and tapped my fingers on my crossed arm, determined to just ignore her. Where was Sally when you needed her? Why wasn't Wufei getting involved? I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and saw him still in his relaxed, slouched position in the chair with a small, almost unnoticed raise of the corner of his mouth. Smug bastard...

Relena sighed and came back into my view and bent down at the waist, bringing her eyes level with mine, "Answer me!"

I threw my hands up in frustration and sat up in my chair, "Listen here, I don't owe you any explanation. From what I've heard, you have about every right to be here as me. Has there been trouble in paradise, _Miss Peacecraft_?"

She pointed her finger into my chest, "You listen here, you space rat..."

I got in her personal space and snarled, "Don't go there _princess..."_

"Will you two knock it off already?" Wufei decided to stop feigning sleep and get involved.

I sat back in my chair like a petulant child that had just been scorned and turned to resume my stare with the window. About time he got involved, I was two seconds away from ripping her a new one. Relena stood and turned to Wufei with a conceited look on her face, her arms crossed and her foot still tapping in irritation.

"You can't possibly condone his behavior, Wufei!" she said in an exasperated tone.

Wufei sat up and held his hand up in a signal for silence. Once Relena stopped he looked up at her, his face held no emotion as he spoke, "I did not say I 'condoned' the behavior of either of you. You are both acting like children fighting over their favorite toy, that toy being Heero."

Relena rolled her eyes and looked down at her feet. I smirked at her behavior. _/That's right princess, you aren't going to be given any special treatment here./_

"Duo has his reasons for being here just as you do Miss Peacecraft. I admit that he has not been around and he has to answer for a lot of things, but he need not answer to you or answer your questions. Why he and Heero are acting as they are is their business and theirs alone." He sat back in his chair and continued, "You should show respect, if not for Duo, then for Heero's sake. They are friends and nothing can be said that would change their standing. You shouldn't invest so much interest in Heero's affairs, who he spends his time with is his choice, not yours. I advise you to take a seat and wait like the rest of us before you make more of a spectacle out of yourself."

Her jaw dropped open in disbelief, "You cannot possibly be siding with him on this Wufei!"

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes again, "I am not siding with either of you, I just want some peace, sit down Miss Peacecraft." He finished in a 'no-nonsense' tone. Yup...smug bastard.

I heard Relena let out an indignant huff before her heels retreated to the other side of the room. The chair's legs scratched the floor from the amount of force she used when she sat. I couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on my face or the twinkle that had more than likely made itself known in my eyes. Wufei: 1, Relena: 0.

"You can wipe that smirk off your face at any time, Maxwell..." He mumbled.

 _/Shit.../_ Make that an observant smug bastard, cops...

* * *

It was another hour before Sally made her way into the waiting room. As usual, Relena pounced on her with questions right when the door's closed behind her. I nudged Wufei with my elbow before I stood up and made my way over to the pair.

Sally put her clipboard in one hand and set her free one on Relena's shoulder, "Miss Relena, I can't answer that many questions at once, I don't think anybody could at the rate you were asking. Take a deep breath and calm down."

Relena's face was slightly red after Sally silenced her, she really didn't like people telling her what to do. It made me wonder how she was still alive if she constantly butts heads with her staff and guards. Wufei and Heero must have patients of a saint, there's no way I could deal with that stubborn attitude. I stuck my hand, thumb through a belt loop, in my front pocket as Wufei made his way over to hear the update. His hair was mussed and his uniform was out of sorts from his slouching position in the chair. Other than that, he just looked tired, and I didn't blame him after the morning he had.

"He did fine, and he's resting at the moment. There were several slipped disks in his lower back that blocked the bionic fluid lines in his back. I was able to realign the disks and free-up the lines."

Relena relaxed her shoulders and took a step back as Sally explained.

"He did a good number on his prosthetic as well when he went down on his knee. The connection plates on his leg had to be replaced, and the plate inside his prosthetic is being replaced as we speak. They were in a sad condition. To begin with, this incident stressed the plates further, causing even deeper grooves to form on what is supposed to be a smooth surface." She turned to look at Wufei, a look of irritation on her face.

"Why didn't you instruct him to come in sooner? He informed me he had bindings going on for a while now. This whole situation could have been avoided if he had come in sooner, had the plates updated, and the fluid recharged." She sighed and shook her head.

"You mean he was having issues before now?" Relena questioned, then looked over at Wufei with a vexed look. "You're his partner, you should have made him come in."

Wufei shrugged and crossed his arms, "He's stubborn, I was aware he had binding since Friday, I heard him wince over the com when we picked you up, Miss Peacecraft." He crossed his arms and gave her an accusatory look, "You didn't help matters. You knew he was there on guard duty, he was walking around the charity function the whole time it was taking place, and when he took a moment to sit...you insisted that he accompany you as you talked to the other attendees."

I looked between the two of them and sighed before turning my attention to Sally, "It doesn't matter, it's been addressed now. Can we see him now?"

Sally nodded, "Yes. He may be a little out of it, I have him on some strong pain medication and I would like him to get some rest. His levels are high and I would like to keep him as relaxed as possible. Given his history with anxiety, I would rather not cause undue stress." she motioned for us to follow as she turned, heading back the way she came.

* * *

**Heero's POV**

I was on my side in the bed facing the door, machines attached to my chest to monitor my heart rate and oxygen levels, when Sally, Relena, Wufei and Duo walked in. I gave them a weak smile in greeting as they made their way across the room. Relena pulled up a chair to sit by my side, Wufei stood with his arms crossed at the end of the bed, and Duo leaned against the wall by the door in a relaxed stance. I was confused about why he was keeping his distance, but my brain was too muddled to think about it too much.

Thanks to the meds, my body felt heavy, and I was having a hard time staying awake. Did I mention I hate taking medications? This would be why they messed with my state of being and with my job I couldn't afford to be anything less than fully alert.

I couldn't believe that one small teenager could do as much damage as she did. When she kicked me I felt like I had been run over by a truck. I'm sure word got back to the others already, and I probably won't hear the end of it for a while. Sally had mentioned my heart rate was erratic, and I didn't doubt it. After everything I went through today, I was surprised it wasn't through the roof. I haven't been taking my anxiety meds for a while now, because of how they made me feel, but she insisted that I take them on top of the heavy pain meds for the time being. At some point, Relena had taken my hand, but I couldn't really feel anything thanks to the pain medications.

"Hey, How are you doing?" She asked me quietly. I didn't even know why she was here.

I pulled my hand away, "I'm fine, Miss Peacecraft..." She looked hurt by my action, but I didn't really care.

Before she had a chance to talk I addressed Wufei, "Please tell me you were able to at least detain her."

Wufei smirked and shifted to his other foot, "It took me a bit to get my hands on her but yes, she is detained for questioning. I haven't spoken with her yet, I wanted to check in on you first."

I smirked and shifted slightly into a more comfortable position on my side, "I should be fine by Wednesday. I would be back in the office this afternoon if they allowed me." I glared over at Sally and she smirked in return.

"Not happening, Yuy. I need to monitor you for at least 24 hours, you know the drill. Not to mention you can't do much without your prosthetic."

Relena leaned into my line of sight, blocking Sally from view, "You should have had that looked into before it got as bad as it did Heero, what were you thinking?"

I sighed and ran my hand down my face, the IV pulling slightly at the action, "You needed the detail, Miss Peacecraft. Genesis has made it clear that they see you as a problem that needs to be taken care of. You threaten them with your campaign, you're wanting to institutionalize all persons that splice. Whereas a good deal of may stand by you, you still make enemies in the process."

She gave me a shy smile and pushed my hair out of my face, "I don't want you sacrificing your own health for mine, Heero. You could have had someone else fill in for you while you had this addressed."

Duo stood back, silent with his arms crossed, looking down at his shoes. I wondered what he was thinking about. He looked uncomfortable. "Duo, I never asked earlier, but how did you hear about my incident." It confused me, nobody knew he was in town. I had kept my word and had told nobody about his being here.

Duo looked up and smiled. I could tell it was not a genuine one, it didn't reach his eyes. He reached back and rubbed at his neck before answering. "Awe, you know me, buddy. Wrong place, right time?" He chuckled, "I was in the shipping district finishing up business and caught ya running like hell was on your heels past the Cafe. I ran after ya and found ya out cold on the cement and Wufei wrestling a girl into the back of his cruiser."

He chuckled at the memory, "You shoulda' seen his face when he realized who I was. He was completely oblivious until he heard me talkin'."

Wufei glared at him, "I was kind of in the middle of wrestling a girl hyped up on enhancers into the car. Not to mention how was I supposed to know who you were, you look nothing like the last time I saw you." Duo laughed at him and shook his head before resuming his position against the wall.

Relena did not look pleased with Duo's presence, or Wufei's for that matter. I don't know what she was trying to accomplish being here. After our meeting at the Diner, I figured I made myself very clear. Her hand was gently stroking through my hair and I was too tired to care or fight her on it so I just let it drop and directed my attention back to Wufei.

Wufei walked around to take the chair next to Relena and leaned forward, laying his arms across his legs and resting his chin on his folded hands, "Are you up to talking about the case for a few minutes?"

I grabbed Relena's hand and laid it back on the bed. I squeezed it briefly before placing my hand back in front of me on the mattress, "I may not be able to help much but I would like to know what you plan to do so I'm still in the loop."

He nodded and turned to look at Relena, Duo, and then landed last on Sally. I saw his eyes soften slightly and the corner of his mouth turn up into a soft smile, "Would you mind giving us a few minutes? I promise I won't keep him too long."

Sally's eyes softened slightly as she smiled and nodded, "10 minutes. Don't cause him too much stress, Chang." she ushered both Relena and Duo out the door.

"Hey Sally?" she turned at my inquiry, holding the door open as the others stepped out. "Could you bring Duo back with you when you return? And... could you kindly tell Relena to head back to the hotel?"

She nodded and made her way out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. I turned my eyes back to Wufei and let out a long sigh and let my eyes slide closed. They felt heavy and now that nobody else was around; I felt like I could let my guard down for the time being.

"So...how are you _really_?" Wufei voice was soft as he spoke.

"Sore...I can't really feel anything at the moment thanks to the pain medications." I sighed, opened my eyes, and pushed my hair behind my ear, "Sally said there would be a good-sized bruise and that I was lucky that the port wasn't damaged by the impact. That would have resulted in a longer hospital stay."

Wufei nodded in understanding and resumed, "So, Yursa... I was able to detain her and she is in a holding cell for the time being. I trumped up enough to warrant her being held for at least 24 hours. I had to give her a mild sedative to knock her out for a few hours. I will have to question her before..." He looked at the clock on the wall, "1700 hours tomorrow. Think Sally will cut you loose soon enough to have you accompany me?"

"I'm not no good at swaying her resolve Wufei...you would have better luck at that than me," I smirked. Wufei's neck turned slightly red before he cleared his throat.

I gave him a break and continued, "Do you request a blood sample? We need to know what she is souped up with..."

He righted himself and sat up straight in his chair, "Yes, that along with urine and saliva samples. I plan to have that done tonight. If we wait for tomorrow morning, we won't have the results back before we're given the chance to question her. She requested her lawyer as soon as we brought her in. She isn't taking any chances this time around." He sighed and sat back in the chair, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"She will not turn easily. We will have to approach this with caution if we want any information out of her."

I nodded and rubbed the palm of my hand against my eyes, "Did she say anything when you brought her in?"

Wufei shook his head and rubbed at the creases in his forehead, "Besides calling me everything in the book besides my name...No, nothing useful."

"That's not surprising..." My mind was wandering, and I was having a hard time forming sentences and I'm sure it wasn't hard to miss.

Wufei reached over and pat right thigh before standing up and looking at the clock, "I'm sure Sally will be here soon. You look about ready to pass out, I will not keep you. I'll fill you in on the rest once you're out of here and lucid." he smirked and stretched his arms over his head.

"I am lucid..."

He smirked and turned to the door, "Whatever you say, Yuy. Get some rest, I'll talk with Sally on possibly getting you out of here by noon."

"Hn..." I heard the door click shut as I shut my eyes, I told myself that I was only shutting them for a minute and that was the last thought I had before I went under.

* * *

When I woke up again, Duo was sitting in the chair next to the bed looking at his tablet, the light bouncing off his wire-frame glasses. He looked to be concentrating on something that he was reading. His hair was up in a ponytail as opposed to his sticks and he had a bag on the floor next to him. I watched as his slim fingers glided across the screen, tapping softly on some things before scrolling again.

"Hey..."

He looked up and gave me a soft smile, "Hey 'Ro...How are you feeling?" He set the tablet on the side table and leaned his elbows on the side of the bed, bringing his head to my level.

I rubbed my eyes and furrowed my brows, "How long was I asleep..."

He glanced at his watch before bringing his eyes back to mine, "A couple of hours, it's eight-thirty. The nurses came in twice to check on the fluid pressure, they had to drain some off. You were complaining about your legs tingling in your sleep."

"Sounds about right," I stretched out my back and winced slightly before relaxing again, "They always put a little more than needed in the lines...I don't recall saying anything though."

"You were still half asleep, I had to help because he kept twitching when they tried to hook up the catch.." He reached up and moved some loose hair out of my eyes, "Do you want to get out of that gown? When I came by you were asleep, so I took it on myself to grab some clothes from your apartment. I hope you don't mind."

I let out a sound of relief and smiled, "Thank you, you didn't have to do that. I could have had Wufei grab my gym shorts from the Preventer's gym."

I don't mind, I didn't want to wake you so I kept myself busy." He reached down to the bag and pulled out my white sports shorts and handed them to me before pushing the button on the bed to help me sit up without irritating my back too much.

"Do you want some help?" His voice was soft as he spoke.

I thought about it as I slogged myself up into a sitting position, "Yeah... could you get the ties? And then would you mind helping me to the restroom? They haven't returned with my prosthetic, it would be difficult to make it there without help.

"Sure, that's no problem. Consider me your crutch for the night," he gave me a soft, genuine smile before looping my arm around his neck and helped me bring my legs around to hang off the side of the bed, "Ready?"

I gave him a slight nod, and he gently assisted me off the bed and walked me over to the restroom. I leaned against the doorjamb as he worked the ties loose and handed me my shorts, "Can you get it from here?"

I nodded and grabbed the offered shorts before working my way into the restroom and shutting the door. I used the sink for balance as I pulled off the gown and sat down on the toilet to relieve myself. I finished up and pulled my shorts up my leg and tied them. I stood up and looked in the mirror, my hair was a mess and had come loose from the hair tie. With a sigh, I finger combed it the best I could, debating if I should ask if he grabbed my brush and another tie. As if reading my mind, I heard a soft knock at the door.

"You decent, 'Ro?"

"Yeah, come on in." I saw the door open as he stepped in and made eye contact with my reflection in the mirror. I saw that he had my hairbrush in his hand, a hair tie wrapped around its handle.

He smiled softly and went to hand the brush over to me over my shoulder, "Figured you may need it. Did you want some help? It would be kinda' hard puttin' it up and balancin' yourself on one leg."

"Thanks."

He approached me, I could feel his head through his skin against my back as he brushed my hair, running his fingers through it as he went. I shut my eyes in delight. I would never admit it if someone asked, but I loved my hair being played with. Does that make me girly? I let out a soft sigh as he pulled my sides back, my head rolled side to side as he gently pulled it back. After a few minutes, he had my hair back in a small ponytail on the crown of my head. I slowly opened my eyes and smiled at him through the mirror. I could swear his face was slightly pink and his breathing slightly labored as he stepped back, giving me some space, and leaned against the doorjamb.

"Does it meet your standards?"

I let my hand run over the half ponytail down the hair by my neck and smiled, "I think it's better than I've done honestly."

He gave me his goofy grin again before helping me back over to the bed and getting laid back down on my side. He re-attached the stress test wires to my chest that recorded my heart rate and pulled the cover-up to my waist before sitting back down in his chair. He lowered the bed down some and reached into the bag again. After he searched around for a minute, he pulled out the book I had been reading and put it on the table next to the bed.

"I know it's not your computer, but I wasn't sure how long you were going to be in here and figured you could use something." I just smiled at his thoughtfulness and laid fully down and watched him as he tried to keep himself busy.

He still had the habit of filling the silence with rambling, and it was kind of adorable. I widened my eyes at that errant thought and wondered where it had come from before schooling my face and watching his hunt through the bag for a few minutes before giving up.

"I appreciate it Duo." I smiled and reached out and touched his fidgeting hands, "You can relax, you know. It's just you and me, I'm not expecting you to talk the whole time," I had a small smile on my face as his eyes became wide, surprised that I saw through his actions.

"What has you so nervous, anyway?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and put a small smile on his face, "Hospitals make me nervous and anxious. Sorry about that..."

I leaned forward a little like I was going to tell him a secret and whispered, "I don't much like them either." He laughed softly at my attempt at cheering him up. Once he had calmed down enough to relax in the chair, I smirked and rested back on my side.

"Any news about the delivery? You didn't text me an update this afternoon."

He sat up and gave a nod, "Thankfully things went through smoothly. I was able to order all the parts that were needed, that I was aware of, for Howard's hauler. They should be in by the end of the week. I have them delivering them to the port Saturday to be loaded up. Howard said he would have a ship there by the afternoon and a few hands to help haul it all on."

"At least one of us had some luck today. So will you be leaving on Saturday then?" It was sad to hear, I was enjoying his company and his companionship.

I didn't realize how much I missed it until now; I had been happy with Jynx and the occasional dinner out with Wufei, Quatre, or Triton, but I realized I had just been going through the motions. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy their company and enjoy spending time with them when I can, but... Duo was different. He was my first friend, and I always cared for him on a different level than the others. I shook my head; I didn't want to analyze it too much...it could only lead to disappointment.

"Yeah... that's the plan." His smile fell slightly, and the shine dimmed in his eyes, "Kinda stinks, ya know? I was hoping to have a little more time here to catch up with you and Wufei at least." He chuckled sarcastically, looked down at the floor, and folded his hands in his lap, "Ironic, right? I was regretting this trip from the get-go and now I wish I had more time."

I didn't enjoy seeing that look on his face. My brow creased as I gently lifted his chin to look at me again, "Hey... We still have this week and if you think I will let you just ghost again, you have another thing coming." I smirked, "I will call you often and I expect the calls to be answered. I don't plan to let you disappear again, Maxwell. You get me?"

He laughed and reached up to take my hand in his. That was better, I loved the sound of his baritone laughter. It was more like him to be happy, not sullen, and depressed. I felt slightly angry about what caused him to become what he is now, but I intended to make him smile again. It's the least I can do considering he did the same for me.

"Yeah...I guess you're right. I'm stuck with ya, huh?"

"Like glue, Maxwell." I don't know what came over me, but I brought his hand up to my lips to kiss his knuckles before laying our hands back down on the mattress in front of me. When I looked up at him his eyes were as big as saucers and I questioned if I had crossed a line. After a moment of shock, his features softened, and he squeezed my hand in reassurance. I gave him a small smile before shutting my eyes again. I could hear the monitors slowing down almost to a crawl as I listened to his soft breathing and felt his thumb running over the back of my hand.

"Get some sleep 'Ro. I don't plan to leave anytime soon, but I give it about two hours before Sally kicks me out of here for the night."

I responded with a short snorting laugh before I let myself fully relax, "Arigatō, Duo. Oyasumi... (1)" Knowing he was on watch, I let the darkness lull me into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** Woo! Another chapter finished. I apologize for the long wait. I hit a brick wall after that last chapter and couldn't seem to figure out where I wanted to go with this. I don't write outlines for my stories, I kinda just type and let the muse take over. The 'muse' has been absent and left me gaping at a brick wall like a fish...

(1) "Thank you, Duo. Good night" in Japanese.


End file.
